ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Tracing Schemes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Health in order to merge the Food Standards Agency's Livestock Traceability Scheme with his Department's animal tracing schemes.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no plans to merge the livestock traceability work undertaken by DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency although DEFRA and the agency continue to collaborate closely. For example, Food Standards Agency official veterinarians already make use of documentation required under DEFRA's livestock identification and movement regulations in checking the origin and identity of livestock entering slaughterhouses for human consumption.

Dangerous Dogs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have  (a) been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and  (b) received the maximum sentence for ownership of a banned dog in each year since 1998; and how many weapon dogs have been seized by police in England and Wales in each of those years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts and those fined and given immediate custody under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales, from 1998 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Data for 2009 is expected to be published in the autumn of 2010.
	Figures for the number of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales, 1998 to 2008( 1,2) 
			Defendants 
			1998  1999  2000( 3)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 4) 
			  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person Proceeded against 434 449 458 490 537 560 597 645 703 667 675 
			  Found guilty 239 262 260 285 300 302 350 403 458 456 481 
			  
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injuring any person Proceeded against 28 34 35 50 38 52 48 44 54 50 44 
			  Found guilty 13 19 19 31 30 33 25 25 29 27 33 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 1(2)(a) Proceeded against 6 1 2 1 6 4 15 3 2 9 4 
			  Found guilty 5 - - - 3 2 14 1 1 7 4 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 1(2)(b) Proceeded against - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 
			  Found guilty - - - - - - - - - - 1 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 1(2)(d) Proceeded against 7 11 9 4 3 2 2 3 1 7 16 
			  Found guilty 2 6 6 2 2 - 1 3 - 5 15 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section1(2)(e) Proceeded against - 2 - - 1 - - 1 - - - 
			  Found guilty - 1 - - - - - - - - - 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 1(3) Proceeded against 23 12 5 4 6 1 5 11 8 87 117 
			  Found guilty 8 5 2 2 2 1 2 7 5 62 95 
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 3(1) Proceeded against 248 254 266 278 284 329 290 278 278 341 356 
			  Found guilty 125 126 130 157 150 171 167 168 160 205 239 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Section 3(3) Proceeded against 12 9 24 20 18 20 11 24 19 22 20 
			  Found guilty 8 5 13 14 7 10 5 9 11 15 10 
			  
			 Offences in relation to dogs under Dangerous Dogs Act Section 4(8) and Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Section 13 Proceeded against 6 30 23 39 29 20 22 16 12 10 14 
			  Found guilty 6 18 16 31 23 12 18 9 4 5 11 
			  
			 Total Proceeded against 764 802 823 886 922 988 990 1,025 1,077 1,193 1,247 
			  Found guilty 406 442 446 522 517 531 582 625 668 782 889 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Excludes Convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Ministry of Justice

Fish

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the proportion of fish procured by the public sector which has stewardship council certification;
	(2)  which public sector organisations have implemented the public sector procurement initiative guidance on procuring sustainable fish to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Data from the 2007-08 financial year as reported in the publication 'Proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and National Offender Management Service (previously HM Prison Service)' show that of the 18 Departments for which we have information, five source 100 per cent. of fish from managed sources and a further seven source 70 per cent. or more of their fish from managed sources. The average of the figures provided is 70 per cent.. A 'managed source' is defined here as managed and harvested in ways that do not lead to over-fishing or depletion of exploited populations, e.g. are covered under standards and schemes such as organic certification and Marine Stewardship Council.
	The Departments which reported more than 70 per cent. of fish from managed sources were: DCMS, DCSF, DEFRA, DFID, DCLG, BIS, DFT, DWP, HMT, MOJ, NHS Supply Chain, MOD.
	Data on the use of the guidance by wider public sector are not available.

Parrots: Animal Welfare

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what minimum standards and size of caging his Department has set for parrots under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no minimum cage sizes for parrots under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under the Act owners must provide for the welfare needs of their animals and this includes a suitable environment.

Seas and Oceans: Environment Protection

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve the  (a) coverage and  (b) consistency of its long-term monitoring of the marine environment.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In response to the recommendations from 'Charting Progress', the Government's State of the Seas Report published in 2005, the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS) was created. The UKMMAS is comprised of approximately 250 stakeholders from more than 20 organisations, including Government Departments and devolved Administrations, and has developed a co-ordinated approach to marine monitoring across the UK as a whole.
	UKMMAS co-ordinates and brings together data, including that of long-term monitoring, from a large variety of sources. It is currently involved in producing 'Charting Progress 2'-the second integrated assessment of the state of UK seas, which is internationally peer-reviewed. This is scheduled for publication in July 2010.
	DEFRA also funds a number of research projects and data initiatives, some of which have helped continue important data series so that we can make assessments of marine trends over time and monitor progress. One such project, funded since 2002, is the Marine Environmental Change Network (MECN). The network consists of UK and Isle of Man organisations working together to collect long-term time series information for marine waters. It also brings together scientists working on various components of marine ecosystems, enabling them to share data and carry out more robust analysis of trends. One of the project aims is to be able to analyse marine environmental change over long periods and determine what is being driven by humans (anthropogenic change) and what change is due to natural variation.
	The Government have recently published the first UK Marine Science Strategy, produced by the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee (MSCC). The strategy recognises the key importance of sustained observations to marine science and includes a commitment by the Committee to work with others to develop a prioritisation framework to ensure the provision of secure, long-term data sets. This action is being taken forward by the MSCC's Long-Term Monitoring Working Group.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Paul Goggins: A total of 49 staff (3.4 per cent.) in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and 36 staff (4.2 per cent.) in its executive agencies have advised the Department that they have a disability.
	The following table gives details the average basic salary costs for all general service staff in the NIO. Staff are paid in line with the pay scale for each grade irrespective of whether or not they have a disability. All staff who work reduced hours receive a pro-rata amount based on hours worked.
	
		
			  Grade  Northern Ireland civil servants  Home civil servants 
			 £ 
			 SCS (Pay Band 1) 66,728 66,728 
			 Grade A 44,741 44,568 
			 Grade B1 33,475 34,360 
			 Grade B2 26,729 27,013 
			 Grade C 21,048 22,064 
			 Grade Dl 15,878 16,385 
			 Grade D2 13,401 14,214 
			 Industrial 14,034 n/a

HEALTH

Smoking Ban

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend the areas in which the smoking ban operates.

Gillian Merron: We have no plans at present to extend the areas required to be smoke free in accordance with the Health Act 2006.
	We gave a commitment to review the smoke free law after three years and that review will be carried out later this year.

Breast Cancer Research

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future funding of breast cancer research; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Government (along with their research partners) invests substantially in breast cancer research. That investment will continue.

NHS Treatment: Waiting Times

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the median waiting time was for  (a) in-patient and  (b) out-patient NHS treatment (i) in 2005 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The median waiting time for in-patient admissions was 8.5 weeks in March 2005, and 4.9 weeks in December 2009, which is the latest date for which figures are available. The median waiting time for first out-patient appointment in March 2005 was 4.8 weeks, and 3.4 weeks in December 2009.

Respite Care

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which primary care trusts use funding provided to them for respite care for carers.

Phil Hope: The Department of Health does not determine how PCTs spend their money. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities as set out in the NHS Operating Framework.
	However, the Department's Directors of NHS Performance and Adult Social Care Performance recently wrote to Strategic Health Authority Directors of Performance asking them to identify those PCTs that have agreed with their local authority to prioritise carers' support for the current year and those that are likely to prioritise it for the next year. The information will help ensure we have a rounded picture when considering the priority afforded carers in future planning rounds. I am placing a copy of the letter in the Library in the House.

NHS Service Provision

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the balance between public and private sector provision of NHS services; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: There is no target for the balance between public or private provision of NHS services. The balance must be driven by the best interests of patients and citizens. The NHS is the preferred provider, but we recognise the important contribution of the independent and third sectors where they can add capacity, drive up quality, increase patient choice and enable innovation.

Alcoholic Drinks: Pricing

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the pricing of alcoholic drinks on the level of alcohol abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In 2008, an independent review by Sheffield university found a link between cheap alcohol, increased consumption and harm.
	We are determined to take action while respecting the rights of responsible consumers and are doing further research.
	We are already banning the worst irresponsible promotions such as 'all you can drink for £10'.

Health Protection Agency: Product Registration

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether registration of products manufactured by the Health Protection Agency at the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response at Porton Down is tied to the site of manufacture.

Gillian Merron: The address of the registration holder for a medicinal product licence and the address for the site of manufacture can be, and often are, different. Either address can be changed using the formal process of a variation submission to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Department's medicines agency.

National Curriculum: First Aid Training

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the introduction of first aid training as part of the national curriculum.

Ann Keen: We have had no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
	The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced on 28 April 2009 that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education will form part of the statutory curriculum from 2011.
	Under the current non-statutory provisions, at key stages 1 and 2 children learn about some basic aspects of first aid; the programme of study for PSHE at key stage 3 includes ways of recognising and reducing risk, minimising harm and getting help in emergency and risky situations; at key stage 4 it includes how to use basic and emergency first aid. It is for schools to retain flexibility over how topics included within PSHE should be delivered to meet the needs of their pupils.

Nursing Care

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve standards of nursing care in hospitals.

Ann Keen: We have developed a number of important systems to improve the standard of nursing care in hospitals including the introduction of senior clinical roles like modern matrons and nurse consultants. These are having a real impact as patient surveys continue to demonstrate.

Melanoma

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in England were diagnosed with melanoma between 1997 and 2007.

Ann Keen: Between 1997 and 2007, there were 74,967 newly diagnosed cases of melanoma in England.

Asthma: Drugs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of medication prescribed could be used to treat asthma-related conditions in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The table provides the number of prescription items dispensed in the community, in England, overall, together with the number for asthma drugs and the percentage this represents of overall drugs dispensed.
	
		
			  Number of prescription items dispensed in the community, in England, for drugs used to treat asthma, as defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) 
			  Calendar year  Number of items dispensed overall (thousand)  Number of items of asthma drugs (thousand)  Percentage of total items dispensed used to treat asthma (percentage) 
			 2004 686,138.9 37,385.6 5.4 
			 2005 720,283.2 38,232.0 5.3 
			 2006 751,954.1 38,869.5 5.2 
			 2007 796,298.0 40,112.2 5.0 
			 2008 842,502.2 42,366.4 5.0 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system 
		
	
	Asthma drugs are defined as those listed within BNF sections 3.1.1 Adrenoceptor agonists, 3.1.2 Antimuscarinic bronchodilators, 3.1.3 Theophylline, 3.2 Corticosteroids, 3.3.1 Cromoglicate and related therapy, 3.3.2 Leukotriene receptor antagonists and 3.4.2 Allergen Immunotherapy. Some of these medicines are also indicated for conditions other than asthma.

Autism: Health Services

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received in relation to his proposed autism strategy.

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Andy Burnham) and I have recently and independently met Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Strategy and Chair of the External Reference Group, and the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) to discuss the development of the autism strategy.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Phil Hope: The information requested was published in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010. This can found at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cs0110.pdf
	The relevant Annexes of the document have been placed in the Library.
	Because disability is voluntarily self-reported and the fact that there is a subset of civil servants whose disability status is unknown or undeclared, care should be exercised when drawing conclusions based on these statistics.
	Care should also be exercised when making comparisons of salaries between part-time and full-time disabled and non-disabled staff. For example, a simple comparison of median salary by disability status and working pattern does not take account of the different responsibility levels of the individuals concerned.

Drugs: Alcoholic Drinks

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on health of the combination of polydrug and alcohol abuse by those under the age of 18 years old.

Gillian Merron: The health effects of drug use, including polydrug use, and alcohol abuse are set out in the 2008 Drug Strategy, "Drugs: protecting families and communities" and can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drug-strategy/overview/
	This includes greater levels of ill-health or risk-taking behaviour leading to accidents, infection or pregnancy, with the potential for mental health problems and psychosis, developmental damage and even overdose or death.

Health Services: Derby

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work the Co-operation and Competition Panel is carrying out in relation to proposals for the re-organisation of community services in Derby; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We understand that the Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP) is not undertaking any work in relation to proposals for the re-organisation of community services in Derby, following Derby City primary care trust's decision to revise its plans for divestment of community services and therefore to withdraw its merger notification. Up-to-date details of the casework currently under investigation by the CCP is available on its website at:
	www.ccpanel.org.uk

NHS: Expenditure

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what indications for planning purposes his Department has given to strategic health authorities in England for NHS spending for the next  (a) three and  (b) five years in (i) cash and (ii) real terms; and what assumptions have been made for (A) inflation and (B) efficiency savings.

Mike O'Brien: The Department set out financial planning assumptions for the national health service in the NHS "Operating Framework for England 2010-11" published in December 2009. A copy of this has already been placed in the Library.
	As an interim step, the 2009 pre-Budget report announced that value for money savings of around £10 billion per year will be delivered by 2012-13 through the work under way within the NHS, and through the Public Value Programme (PVP), Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP), and other value for money initiatives.
	"NHS 2010-2015: From Good to Great" set out the approach to identifying and delivering these savings.
	The Department bases its assumptions about general inflation on the forecasts which HM Treasury publish for the gross domestic product (GDP) deflator on its website. The following table sets out HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the pre-Budget report 2009 for 2010-11 to 2013-14.
	
		
			  Financial year  Forecast GDP deflator (Percentage) 
			 2010-11 23/4 
			 2011-12 11/2 
			 2012-13 21/2 
			 2013-14 23/4

Strokes: Health Services

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to implement the proposals of the English Stroke Strategy on psychological support and regular reviews for everyone who has had a stroke.

Ann Keen: The National Stroke Strategy, published in 2007, recognised the need to develop long-term psychological and emotional support for stroke survivors with a co-ordinated approach across health and social care. To accelerate improvements in stroke care, the Department's National Quality Board has established a sub-group that will focus on joint working across the health and social care interface and on improving access to psychological support across all long term conditions including stroke.

Strokes: Mental Health

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of cases of  (a) stroke,  (b) dementia and  (c) depression per 1,000 of the population; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is estimated to be a direct causal factor.

Gillian Merron: No estimate has been made of the number of cases of stroke, dementia, depression, heart disease or cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, larynx or breast per 1,000 of the population.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental ICT

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the  (a) Government Equalities Office and  (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission has spent on font licensing since its creation.

Michael Jabez Foster: Neither  (a) the Government Equalities Office or  (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission has incurred expenditure on font licensing.

Departmental Information Officers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many  (a) press officers and  (b) communications staff were employed by the Government Equalities Office in each year since it was established; and what the cost of employing these staff was in each such year.

Michael Jabez Foster: The number of staff employed and salary costs since GEO was established in October 2007 are set out in the table. These numbers reflect staff changes during the years, including a number of temporary press officers on short-term contracts while recruitment exercises were undertaken. A more meaningful figure is the number of press officer and communications staff posts and these are shown in brackets.
	
		
			  GEO Division  Press officers  Communications staff 
			  2007-08( 1)   
			 Number of staff 3(2) 3(3) 
			 Total salary costs (£) 5,738 19,064 
			
			  2008-09   
			 Number of staff 5(3) 8(3) 
			 Total salary costs (£) 151,038 187,954 
			
			  2009-10( 2)   
			 Number of staff 8(6) 6(4) 
			 Total salary costs (£) 213,708 185,652 
			 (1) 12 October 2007 to 31 March 2008 (2) As at 31 December 2009 
		
	
	On its establishment in October 2007 the GEO supported two Ministers. The GEO now supports four Ministers and the increase in the number of press and communications posts since March 2009 reflects this.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2009,  Official Report, column 57W, on departmental pay, how many staff in the Department received both an annual performance bonus and an in-year bonus in 2008-09; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the largest combined bonus payment to an individual was; and who was responsible for awarding such bonuses.

Michael Jabez Foster: In the financial year 2008-09, 10 GEO members of staff received both an in-year bonus and an annual performance bonus. This total represented 9.5 per cent. of the total work force. The highest combined total awarded was £1,250. Special bonuses are agreed by GEO's senior management team through nominations made by line managers. Annual performance bonuses are agreed through the Department's end of year staff reporting process.

CABINET OFFICE

Cancer

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of people per 1,000 expected to develop cancer of the  (a) mouth,  (b) oesophagus and  (c) larynx; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is expected to be a direct causal factor;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of people per 1,000 expected to develop  (a) breast cancer and  (b) heart disease; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is expected to be a direct causal factor.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	No estimate has been made of the number of cases of stroke, dementia, depression, heart disease or cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, larynx or breast per 1,000 of the population.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Fraud

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total cost is of delivering the alcohol fraud strategy.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Estimates of expenditure on activity to tackle alcohol fraud in 2007-08 and 2008-09 total approximately £22 million. The projected cost for 2009-10, indicates an increase in HMRC and UKBA expenditure of around 12 per cent., to approximately £25 million. This reflects the introduction of new enforcement capabilities, such as specialist teams to carry out civil investigations of fraud, and the establishment of a dedicated inland detection force.

Alcoholic Drinks: Fraud

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of links between alcohol fraud and serious organised crime.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no estimates available for the proportion of alcohol duty losses attributable to serious organised crime, compared to other forms of fraud. However, HMRC assessments of the threats to the alcohol regime suggest that organised criminality has become a significant element in the fraud. HMRC's response, with other law enforcement agencies, is to target these criminals and the networks through which they operate to disrupt, dismantle, penalise and wherever possible prosecute those involved.

Alcoholic Drinks: Fraud

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the relationship between the levels of alcohol duties and levels of alcohol fraud.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No assessment has been made of the relationship between the levels of alcohol duties and levels of alcohol fraud.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested can be found in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) published by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010 and available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cs0110.pdf

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce operate pay ranges in line with civil service guidelines. Staff at all layers within each organisation's pay grading structure may have management responsibilities, except those at the lowest grade; not all staff in any pay grade will have management responsibilities. Where data relate to fewer than five staff, pay ranges have been combined. The UK Debt Management Office does not use comparable pay ranges.
	The following tables give the information requested for HM Treasury, the Office of Government Commerce and the UK Debt Management Office, showing the number of posts at each management grade or level.
	
		
			  Table 1: HM Treasury full-time equivalent staff by pay range as at April 2009 (annualised costs) 
			   Staff (FTE)  Cost (£ million) 
			 Perm Sec and SCS 3 7.0 1.1 
			 SCS 2 18.9 2.4 
			 SCS 1 81.9 7.9 
			 Range E 376.0 22.9 
			 Range D 439.0 15.4 
			 Range C 162.0 4.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Office of Government Commerce 2008-09 average full-time equivalent staff by pay range 
			   Staff (FTE)  Cost (£ million) 
			 Perm Sec, SCS3 and SCS 2 5.6 1.0 
			 SCS 1 23.6 2.9 
			 Band 6 54.2 4.3 
			 Band 5 63.8 3.9 
			 Band 4 37.4 1.7 
			 Band 3 28.8 1.0 
			 Band 2 19.7 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: UK Debt Management Office average full-time equivalent permanent staff 2008-09 average by management level 
			   Staff (FTE)  Cost (£ million) 
			 Executive board members <5 0.6 
			 Team leaders 16.6 1.7

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Copies of the travel and subsistence guidance covering HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce and the Debt Management Office have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last five years; how much it has spent on such payments in 2009-10; and what proportion of such payments was made in respect of the Government Car Service.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Costs to Departments of ministerial cars are reported annually to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport through written ministerial statements and are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Details of spending on other GCDA services for the five years prior to 2009-10 are £5,669 (2008-09), £5,329 (2007-08), £4,804 (2006-07), £5,505 (2005-06) and £6,611 (2004-05). Figures for spending in 2009-10 will be available following the publication of the audited accounts.

Inheritance Tax: Glasgow

John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Treasury received from inheritance tax from estates in Glasgow East constituency in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available at a sub-regional level. Inheritance tax data are based on a UK wide sample of cases which is designed to produce national level figures and the size of the sample means that we could not currently reliably estimate tax receipts reliably at constituency level.

Inheritance Tax: Perthshire

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Exchequer received from inheritance tax from estates in Perth and North Perthshire constituency over the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available at a sub-regional level. Inheritance tax data are based on a UK wide sample of cases which are designed to produce national level figures and the size of the sample means that we could not currently estimate tax receipts reliably at constituency level.

National Insurance Contributions: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, column 918W, on national insurance contributions: local government, what estimate he has made of the likely change to revenue to the Exchequer arising from changes to national insurance contributions for local government employees in each of the next three years.

Stephen Timms: Information requested is available only at disproportionate cost, due to the work required to provide it.
	The Exchequer effect of the announced changes to the national insurance system for the next three years can be found in the 2008 pre-Budget report in Table 1.2 Estimated costs for pre-Budget report policy decisions and others announced since Budget 2008 and the equivalent table in the 2009 pre-Budget report, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr08_chapter1_379.pdf
	and
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr09_chapter1.pdf
	respectively.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hereditaments were deleted from the Valuation Office Agency's Rating List due to demolition in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency intends to publish by the 31 May 2010, information relating to movement within the 2005 rating lists, including the number of properties deleted due to demolition.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Exchequer received from stamp duty land tax in each  (a) parliamentary constituency,  (b) local authority area and  (c) postcode area in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of stamp duty land tax receipts by UK parliamentary constituency are published at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-5-0708.pdf
	and
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-5-0809.pdf
	for 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.
	Estimates of stamp duty land tax receipts by UK local authority are published at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/tablel5-4-0708.pdf
	and
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-4-0809.pdf
	for 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.
	Estimates of stamp duty land tax receipts by parliamentary constituency and local authority for 2009-10 will be published in September.
	Stamp duty land tax receipt estimates by postcode area could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation office

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will direct the Valuation Office Agency to take steps to reduce the financial effects on port businesses of its retrospective revaluation of hereditaments in ports.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a statutory duty to maintain the rating lists. When the VOA becomes aware a change is needed they are under an obligation to take action to alter the rating list in accordance with the legislation. It would be inappropriate for the Agency to be directed to not undertake its statutory obligation.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some businesses within ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now.

VAT

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the revenue lost in a year through the non-payment of value added tax and excise duty on  (a) wine,  (b) spirits and  (c) tobacco;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the proportion of wine in the UK market which is sold fraudulently without value added tax and excise duty having been paid.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not currently have an estimate for the level of fraud in wine.
	The most recent estimate of the revenue lost for spirits and tobacco was published in "Measuring Tax Gaps-2009" in November 2009 and is available in the House of Commons Library and can be found on the internet at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Adjudicator's Office has recommended in relation to tax credit cases that HM Revenue and Customs  (a) pay in compensation to claimants,  (b) forego in tax and interest and  (c) write off in overpaid tax credits since March 2008.

Stephen Timms: From 1 April 2008 the Adjudicator's Office recommended that HMRC pay £280,093 in compensation relating to tax credit cases and recommended £3,523,457 of overpayment to be written off. Interest is not generally chargeable on tax credit cases. The Adjudicators Office has not made recommendations with regard to foregoing tax or interest in relation to tax credit cases.

TRANSPORT

A1(M): Hatfield

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects the refurbishment of the Hatfield tunnel on the A1(M) to be completed, with all carriageways open and the temporary speed restriction removed.

Chris Mole: The refurbishment of the Hatfield Tunnel on the A1(M) is expected to be completed, with all carriageways open and the temporary restrictions removed, by May 2011.

Pilots: Licensing

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to maintain the quality of pilot licensing within a single European qualification.

Paul Clark: The European Aviation Safety Agency is now responsible for establishing the standards for pilot licensing in the EU. EASA consulted on draft implementing rules on pilot licensing in 2008. The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority have responded to this consultation. The draft implementing rules were largely based on existing standards and are not intended to alter the quality of pilot licensing. The United Kingdom is represented on the EU committee which will agree the final rules.
	The national aviation authorities of member states will continue to be responsible for issuing pilot's licences. They will be subject to standardisation audits by EASA to ensure that implementing rules are correctly applied.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many local councils received extra supplies of  (a) salt and  (b) grit from the Salt Cell's reallocation of supplies in the last two months; and how much was supplied to each of them.

Sadiq Khan: From 6 January the Salt Cell has provided advice to salt suppliers on how to prioritise deliveries. This advice is based upon information provided by highway authorities on their stock levels and weather forecasts from the Met Office. However, it is a matter for the salt suppliers to decide what deliveries they make.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much road  (a) salt and  (b) grit was imported in each of the last 12 years.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not collected centrally.

SCOTLAND

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Ann McKechin: Staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or on assignment from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who retain any self declared and voluntary information on disability. The Office's annual report for 2008-09 indicates that we have a small number of staff with disabilities but, for privacy reasons, the actual numbers are considered confidential.
	Details on average salaries of staff are not available in the form requested.

WALES

Devolution: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the First Minister's letter to him on a referendum on National Assembly for Wales powers; and if he will publish his response;
	(2)  on what date he received a letter from the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government on a referendum on further powers for the National Assembly for Wales; and if he will publish the letter.

Peter Hain: I received the First Minister's notification of a resolution under section 104 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 on 17 February 2010 and I responded on 22 February 2010.
	I have placed both letters in the Library of the House.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Manpower

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel there were of each rank in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The number of RAF personnel of each rank in each year from 1997 to 2008 is listed as follows. The figures include all personnel in the RAF both trained and untrained as of 18 December 2009.
	Due to ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration System (JPA) all RAF strengths in 2008-09 are provisional and subject to review. All figures in the table below the rank of Group Captain have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			   As at  1  April each year 
			  Rank  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			 Air Chief Marshal 5 4 4 3 2 3 4 
			 Air Marshal 8 7 7 8 8 7 7 
			 Air Vice-Marshal 34 32 31 32 31 31 29 
			 Air Commodore 95 92 92 98 96 90 88 
			 Group Captain 330 340 330 330 340 340 340 
			 Wing Commander 1,130 1,160 1,160 1,220 1,270 1,280 1,280 
			 Squadron Leader 2,990 3,020 3,000 2,960 3,030 3,030 3,080 
			 Flight Lieutenant 5,280 5,060 4,880 4,820 4,580 4,520 4,510 
			 Flying Officer/Pilot Officer/Officer Designate 1,170 1,270 1,400 1,510 1,610 1,610 1,620 
			 Warrant Officer 1,260 1,210 1,160 1,150 1,160 1,170 1,190 
			 Flight Sergeant/Chief Technician 4,270 4,310 4,160 4,050 4,110 3,930 3,860 
			 Sergeant 8,040 8,120 8,120 7,930 7,860 7,790 7,620 
			 Corporal 11,860 11,340 10,940 10,340 10,210 10,190 10,110 
			 Junior Technician/Leading Aircraftsman/Senior aircraftsman 18,660 17,730 17,510 17,730 16,600 16,030 15,950 
			 Aircraftman 1,730 2,170 2,420 2,530 2,810 2,980 3,550 
		
	
	
		
			   As at 1 April each year 
			  Rank  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Air Chief Marshal 4 4 2 4 (1)3 (1)3 
			 Air Marshal 4 8 8 6 (1)6 (1)9 
			 Air Vice-Marshal 34 27 27 30 (1)25 (1)24 
			 Air Commodore 90 92 92 95 (1)94 (1)90 
			 Group Captain 360 340 320 310 (1)310 (1)330 
			 Wing Commander 1,290 1,320 1,270 1,240 (1)1,220 (1)1,200 
			 Squadron Leader 3,030 2,870 2,780 2,660 (1)2,630 (1)2,570 
			 Flight Lieutenant 4,510 4,650 4,630 4,420 (1)4,160 (1)4,050 
			 Flying Officer/Pilot Officer/Officer Designate 1,650 1,310 1,180 1,120 (1)1,230 (1)1,500 
			 Warrant Officer 1,200 1,200 1,210 1,180 (1)1,130 (1)1,190 
			 Flight Sergeant/Chief Technician 3,920 3,900 3,670 3,480 (1)3,300 (1)3,190 
			 Sergeant 7,660 7,660 7,430 6,910 (1)6,560 (1)6,270 
			 Corporal 10,070 10,070 9,790 9,120 (1)8,760 (1)8,460 
			 Junior Technician/Leading Aircraftsman/Senior aircraftsman 16,100 16,430 15,350 13,860 (1)12,350 (1)11,890 
			 Aircraftman 3,480 2,000 960 930 (1)1,630 (1)2,800 
			 (1 )Provisional 
		
	
	RAF personnel numbers have reduced over the period since 1997 in line with strategic reviews. The Strategic Defence Review (published 1998) sought to shift UK defence forces away from a largely cold war defence posture based on maintaining heavily equipped forces in Western Europe towards lighter, expeditionary forces capable of deploying across the world. It also marked a shift towards 'joint' defence forces and a greater use of advanced technology. Subsequent strategic reviews have continued these trends.
	Moreover, as the 2004 Defence White Paper "Delivering Security in a Changing World" made clear,
	'the effectiveness of modern precision weapons and sensors, which can be used in all weathers, day and night, mean that highly accurate air delivered offensive effects can be achieved with fewer fast jets than before. Similarly the air threat to deployed forces has greatly reduced and the capability of our air superiority aircraft and other air defence assets is continuing to improve. So we need fewer aircraft and fewer ground-based air defence systems to meet the threat'.
	The bulk of the RAF's manpower reductions has been at lower level ranks (Senior Aircraftman and Corporal). These were mainly achieved through efficiency improvements including multi-skilling of engineering personnel and contractorisation of posts in service trades where these ranks are prevalent.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many triple amputees are in the armed forces;
	(2)  how many amputees in the armed forces have been sent to the US for medical treatment in the last three years;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on sending armed forces amputees to the US for medical treatment in each of the last three years.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has committed to publishing on a quarterly basis the numbers of service personnel who have suffered limb amputations as a result of injuries sustained while on operational deployment, and Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) published figures up to the end of 2009 on 12 February 2010, available on its website at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk
	These figures will include partial or complete limb amputees. In order to protect patient confidentiality, those who have suffered limb amputations above the wrist or ankle on more than one limb will be reported annually as "significant multiple amputees".
	Injured UK Service personnel who require prosthetic limbs attend the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey, where they are supplied with tailor-made prostheses with state of the art componentry which is matched to their clinical needs.
	The Defence Medical Services (DMS) keep in touch with developments in rehabilitation in other countries, including the United States, and assess new developments carefully to judge fully their potential benefits for our people. To date the DMS have not referred any amputees to the United States for their medical treatment, although a few individual amputees have attended private US facilities of their own volition and without cost to the Department. No personnel have been forced to receive treatment in the USA, and until alternative treatments and rehabilitation regimes have been fully evaluated it would be inappropriate to deviate from current, clinically proven approaches.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are disabled; and what the average salary of (i) full-time disabled staff, (ii) full-time non-disabled staff, (iii) part-time disabled staff and (iv) part-time non-disabled staff is in (A) his Department and (B) its agencies.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the table of statistics taken from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey published by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010 and available at the following link:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cs0110.pdf

Ex-servicemen

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support is provided by his Department to military personnel upon discharge in respect of  (a) trauma and psychological problems,  (b) alcohol abuse and  (c) drug abuse.

Kevan Jones: Since 1948, it has been successive Governments' policy that the NHS should be the main provider of health care for veterans and for the majority of veterans their mental health needs are fully met by current NHS provisions. The Department of Health and devolved Administrations with support from the Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress have launched six mental health pilots around the United Kingdom. The aim of the pilots is to deliver a service which provides expert assessment and interventions and which is acceptable to veterans.
	Veterans who do not live near one of the regional schemes can access the Medical Assessment programme (MAP) which is available to veterans who were deployed on operations since 1982. The MAP offers comprehensive physical and mental health assessments for veterans who feel that their ill-health may be linked to military service.
	In addition, we will be providing grant funding of £140,000, which Combat Stress are matching, to work directly with mental health trusts to ensure that the services they provide are accessible to and appropriate for military veterans.
	The Department has issued guidance to commanders on substance misuse and all three services have robust drug and alcohol policies in place. Service personnel identified by the chain of command as being at risk of alcohol misuse receive counselling and welfare support. This can include attendance on preventative early intervention programmes designed to alert them to the harm that alcohol can cause to themselves and others. More serious cases are treated through specialist medical and psychological treatment and rehabilitation, including where appropriate as in-patients. Service leavers are also given literature covering a range of issues including details of national alcohol and drug helplines.

Military Aircraft: Training

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the simulation of the 1994 Chinook accident by test pilot Squadron Leader Robert Burke was abandoned prior to its completion; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The test with which Squadron Leader Burke concerned himself was being undertaken by RAF technicians at the request of the Air Accident Investigation Branch, without a requirement for his assistance. The work was not abandoned after Squadron Leader Burke was told not to take any further part.

Navy: Haiti

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the capacity of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Largs Bay's capacity was full at the point at which the vessel departed Southampton for Haiti in February 2010.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 February 2010
	Royal Fleet Auxiliary Largs Bay departed for Haiti on 3 February carrying 595 linear metres of relief supplies and equipment, including the required cargo handling and beach landing capabilities. This represents approximately 60 per cent. of the capacity available. Residual space is required to assist with the movement of supplies and equipment within the cargo hold in anticipation of changing disbursement priorities on arrival.
	The operational considerations about supplies and equipment to take included an assessment of materials that could be ordered and delivered in time to ensure that the most urgently required aid would get to Haiti. The priority was items not easily transported by air but critical to the immediate humanitarian relief effort. These include fork lift trucks, four-wheel drive vehicles and corrugated sheeting.
	In addition to delivering relief supplies, RFA Largs Bay has also been deployed to provide specialised capabilities to assist with the wider United Nations-led relief effort in Haiti. Delaying departure to allow supplies to be delivered for loading needed to be balanced with the urgency of getting the ship to the vicinity of Haiti to unload and begin these wider tasks.

RAF

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made since 1994 to the rules under which deceased Royal Air Force aircrew can be found guilty of gross negligence; whether a finding of gross negligence could have been made in respect of the Chinook crash if the current rules had applied at the time of the crash; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 January 2010
	In 1997 the relevant service regulations were changed to remove the express attribution of blame and although Boards of Inquiry were still able to find that human factors were the reason for an accident, any questions of culpability on the part of aircrew would be dealt with separately through the disciplinary or administrative action system, if appropriate. If these rules had been in force at the time of the Chinook accident the Board of Inquiry could not have made a finding of gross negligence. With the introduction of a new system of Service Inquiries in October 2008 under the Armed Forces Act 2006 which brought in procedures common across all three services and replaced the old Board of Inquiry system, the rules continued the principle that Service Inquiries are not to explicitly attribute blame or legal liability. If any question of culpability were to arise, it would have to be dealt with through the disciplinary system, although clearly this would not arise in the case of deceased personnel.

Territorial Army

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 23, on the Territorial Army, for what reason drill nights at the 38 (Irish) Brigade Regional training Centre at Ballykinler, County Down remain suspended.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 9 February 2010
	The Regional Training Centre at Ballykinler, County Down, is not normally used as a venue for Territorial Army training nights. However, a phase 1 training course originally scheduled to run at the Centre over six weekends was recently cancelled. The cancellation of this particular course was at a local decision which was contrary to the directive issued by the Government following the decision taken in October 2009 to reinstate routine Territorial Army activity for the remainder of the financial year. The reasons for this are being investigated and the training will be reinstated. This training does not affect any personnel committed to operations and the course will be reinstated.

Veterans' Challenge Fund

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) budget,  (b) expenditure on administration and  (c) expenditure on grants has been of the Veterans' Challenge Fund in each year since its inception.

Kevan Jones: The Veterans Challenge Fund was established on 1 April 2003. Since then it has provided funding to prime projects that support the three pillars of the Veterans Programme (Transition, Support, and Recognition) that are identified in the Veterans Strategy.
	Initially a budget of £2 million was set aside to cover a three year period (2003-06). However, on 28 October 2005,  Official Report, column 19WS, we announced the extension of the Veterans Challenge Fund past its initial three year period with an annual allocation of up to £750,000.
	Administration of the Veterans Challenge Fund with the MOD is an internal departmental cost with the duties being part of wider responsibilities. These costs are not taken from the budget for the fund.
	The following table provides information on expenditure relating to Veterans Challenge Fund grants for each year since 2003.
	
		
			   Expenditure on grants( 1)  (£) 
			 2003-04 42,000 
			 2004-05 190,000 
			 2005-06 476,000 
			 2006-07 606,000 
			 2007-08 431,000 
			 2008-09 661,000 
			 Total 2,046,000 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to nearest thousand.

Veterans' Challenge Fund

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which projects have been supported by the Veterans' Challenge Fund in each year since its inception; and how much funding has been allocated to each such project in each such year.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested.
	Since its launch in July 2003 the Veterans Challenge Fund has provided funding to a total of 98 projects in a number of areas including homelessness, prison in-reach and research into suicide among veterans. Projects that have benefited from our contributions have gone to make a significant difference to the veterans community.
	The following table provides information relating to the number of projects undertaken for each year.
	
		
			   Number of projects 
			 2003-04 24 
			 2004-05 13 
			 2005-06 29 
			 2006-07 17 
			 2007-08 11 
			 2008-09 4 
			 Total 98 
		
	
	Costs relating to a specific project may span a financial year and may be complex through their reliance on a number of other funding factors reaching maturity at the same time. In order to determine the amounts for each project would require a manual search of records and incur disproportionate cost.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Freedom of Information: Costs

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost to the House has been of responding to requests made under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Nick Harvey: No records are kept of the specific time spent by staff responding to inquiries. An estimate of the staff cost of handling Freedom of Information Act requests within the Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) team, who co-ordinate the handling of responses, is £165,000 per annum.

Nurseries

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the average daily usage of the proposed nursery by children of  (a) hon. Members,  (b) staff of the House of Commons Service,  (c) staff of hon. Members and  (d) others in its first 12 months of operation;
	(2)  what estimate the House of Commons Commission has made of the  (a) running cost and  (b) income of the proposed nursery in the first 12 months of its operation.

Nick Harvey: The nursery is being designed to provide child care for up to 40 children between the ages of birth and five years. According to child care experts, there will be a build up of usage over a period: the average usage for the first 12 months of a new nursery is likely to be around 40 per cent. No breakdown of usage as between the children of Members and the children of others has been estimated at present: much will depend on the make-up of the next Parliament. The intention in the longer term is to recover the operating costs through the charges made to users. Disclosure of expected operating costs at this stage could undermine the House's position in the commercial competition for a nursery operator.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Nationals Abroad

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of UK citizens living abroad in  (a) each other EU member state and  (b) all non-EU countries in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: Our network of overseas posts has in the past been asked to provide an estimate of the number of British nationals resident in their consular area. The latest figures available are for 2006-07. Figures are also available for 1990 and 2000, but not 1980. The results of each of these surveys are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimated size of the British national community 
			  Country  2006-07  2000  1990 
			 Austria 7,369 7,000 5,100 
			 Belgium 39,867 30,200 28,500 
			 Bulgaria 1,700 325 55 
			 Cyprus 60,000 54,000 18,000 
			 Czech Republic 3,183 0 83 
			 Denmark 13,183 12,630 10,474 
			 Estonia 220 200 - 
			 Finland 4,350 3,200 1,300 
			 France 381,000 156,050 43,000 
			 Germany 115,554 164,324 92,445 
			 Greece 31,470 144,085 21,300 
			 Hungary 2,640 3,000 275 
			 Ireland 112,548 0 50,000 
			 Italy 71,990 61,000 35,000 
			 Latvia 400 200 - 
			 Lithuania 250 160 - 
			 Luxembourg 4,480 5,000 2,894 
			 Malta 6,000 6,000 3,000 
			 Netherlands 73,600 40,000 50,000 
			 Poland 2,531 10,000 881 
			 Portugal 34,624 31,597 16,300 
			 Romania 6,000 3,000 36 
			 Slovakia 1,000 750 - 
			 Slovenia 157 350 - 
			 Spain 840,989 949,550 121,500 
			 Sweden 15,000 17,500 14,000 
			 Non-EU 10,283,651 11,000,718 5,500,000 
			 Total 12,113,756 12,700,839 6,014,143 
			  Note: Based on overseas posts' estimates of the number of British nationals within their consular area.

Colombia: Political Prisoners

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact his Department has had with staff of the Colombian Embassy in relation to prisoners held for political reasons by the Colombian authorities in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: I raised this issue with the Colombian ambassador last week. We wholly condemn any Government that targets or imprisons individuals for their political orientation. We are aware of allegations that Colombian individuals are being imprisoned or charged with offences as a result of their political views or activities, and have pointed out to the Colombian authorities that those charged with crimes should have their legal rights fully respected, including to a fair trial. However, it is for the Colombian judicial system to assess any such cases, including exercise of the right of habeas corpus.

Colombia: Political Prisoners

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the government of Colombia on the fate of  (a) human rights defender Carmelo Agamez Berrio and  (b) trade unionist Liliany Obando.

Chris Bryant: We have not made any representations on the case of Carmelo Agamez Berrio.
	As for Liliany Obando, we wrote in April 2009 to the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme and to the Director of International Affairs at the Prosecutor General's office requesting details about her case. We never received a response from the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme. On 25 June 2009, the Prosecutor General's office informed us that Ms Obando's case was going through the last stages of the legal accusatory process. She has been charged with
	rebellion and the administration of resources related with terrorist activities.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Minister raised her case personally with Colombian Foreign Minister Bermudez in London last month, and we subsequently received a letter from the Colombian ambassador updating us with the news that there have been three public hearings of her case between August and December 2009, and that two more public hearings were scheduled to happen this week. I am writing to the Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister to further register our continued interest in the case.

Cuba: Politics and Government

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on meeting representatives of the democratic opposition in Cuba.

Chris Bryant: Our policy towards Cuba remains based on the EU Common Position, which was agreed in 1996 and is reviewed annually at the June European Council. The Common Position sets out inter alia that the EU will
	intensify the present dialogue with the Cuban authorities and with all sectors of Cuban society in order to promote respect for human rights and real progress towards pluralist democracy.
	Following the last review of the EU's Cuba policy in June 2009, all EU member states agreed Council Conclusions which reaffirmed their commitment to the Common Position and the policy of dual track engagement with the Cuban Government and Cuban civil society. On the issue of meeting members of opposition groups in Cuba the Conclusions state:
	The Council reaffirms that its policy for EU contacts with the peaceful pro-democracy opposition remains valid. During high-level visits, human rights issues should always be addressed; when appropriate, meetings with the peaceful pro-democracy opposition will be part of high level visits. In this context the Council calls upon the Cuban government to allow for unimpeded contacts with civil society in the margin of high level visits.
	In line with this policy, our embassy in Havana maintains contacts across the full spectrum of political opinion within Cuba, including the government and members of civil society and opposition groups; we see it as important in support of this goal to include meetings with opposition figures in high level political visits where appropriate. The last Ministerial visit to Cuba was by my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) then Foreign Office Minister in 2005. He met a range of Cuban Government contacts, opposition figures and civil society. Since then, the Cuban Government have made official programmes conditional on Ministers and senior officials not meeting any opposition figures during visits. This has made it difficult to agree programmes for a further visit. We stand ready to organise a high level visit as soon as this precondition is dropped.

Departmental Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated  (a) amount and  (b) cost was of energy used in his Department and its agencies in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The breakdown of amount and cost of energy for the last five years is summarised in the following table. To provide additional data could only be done at disproportionate cost. The proportion of energy generated from renewable sources is based on Green tariffs. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no directly renewable sources of energy.
	
		
			   Electricity (kWh)  Gas (kWh)  Oil (kWh)  Heat (kWh)  Total energy (kWh)  KCS green tariff (kWh)  Percentage of total energy that is green  Cost of all energy (£) 
			 2008-09 28,747,774 1,227,509 4,816,849 6,697,510 41,489,641 6,004,650 14 3,777,830 
			 2007-08 23,524,791 1,153,023 4,280,027 5,677,120 34,634,961 6,481,320 19 2,609,700 
			 2006-07 22,578,615 1,341,891 3,291,842 5,290,430 32,502,778 7,069,812 22 2,820,321 
			 2005-06 20,756,930 1,679,115 4,732,676 7,146,240 34,314,961 7,860,950 23 2,404,570 
			 2004-05 19,457,515 1,616,136 3,878,744 6,636,479 31,588,874 8,117,108 26 1,809,318 
			 Total 115,065,625 7,017,674 21,000,138 31,447,779 174,531,215 35,533,840  13,421,739 
			  Note: All data are for financial year-April to March

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the travel guidelines issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Chris Bryant: The British Council publishes its own travel guidelines which are available at:
	http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/freedom-of-information/information-guide/policies/staff-policies/travel-and-expenses/
	The other agencies and non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Department have not published their own travel guidelines. However, the guidelines they use are based on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's own travel guidelines. I have placed a summary of these guidelines in the Library of the House.

Diplomatic Service Appeal Board

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the membership is of the Diplomatic Service Appeal Board.

Chris Bryant: The six former Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employee members of the Diplomatic Service Appeal Board are as follows:
	Ms Philippa Drew CB-Chair
	Professor Colin Jennings-Vice Chair
	Sir James Hodge KCVO CMG-FCO nominee
	Mr, Alan Hunt CMG-FCO nominee
	Mr. Philip Grice LVO-Trade union nominee
	Mr. John Kelly CMG LVO MBE-Trade union nominee
	The two independent members are:
	Mrs. Janet Rubin
	Ms Susan Jenkins

Embassies: Fees and Charges

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider the merits of removing charges for the use of the premises of overseas posts by UK entrepreneurs holding receptions to promote products and services offered by their companies.

Chris Bryant: Making the most of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's assets, including the effective use of our overseas estate, is kept under close review. Diplomatic staff routinely host entertainment in their official residences and other premises overseas to further the Government's strategic priorities, of which support for the UK economy and British businesses is key. In addition to this normal use of our estate, Heads of Post may offer, subject to a number of considerations including security, the use of their official residences for particular events requested by organisations who are willing to pay for the privilege, on the basis that the revenue earned is re-invested in furthering our strategic objectives. We believe this remains a sensible approach and continues to give value to the British taxpayer.

Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission's scholarship programme.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 22 February 2010
	We are content that the Marshall Scholarship programme is being run effectively.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on allegations of human rights abuses committed during Operation Cast Lead.

Ivan Lewis: From the outset we have called for the very serious allegations around the Gaza conflict to be properly and independently investigated by both sides, including individual incidents and wider operational choices. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made this clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of the UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Gaza. Most recently, I raised it in my meeting, on 9 February 2010, with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.

Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the merits of entering the Trident system into multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations prior to the start of the nuclear non proliferation treaty review conference in May 2010.

Ivan Lewis: The UK firmly believes that sustainable global nuclear disarmament can only be achieved through a multilateral process, and stands ready to engage in a future broader multilateral process when the conditions are right. The UK is actively working to create these conditions and is playing a leading role globally in the nuclear disarmament debate. These conditions include watertight measures to prevent further proliferation, further cuts to the world's two largest nuclear arsenals, and solutions to the technical, political and institutional challenges posed by nuclear disarmament.
	We look forward to an agreement between the US and Russia to achieve significant cuts in their nuclear arsenals by agreeing a successor to the strategic arms reduction treaty. This will be a major contribution to our shared endeavour towards a world without nuclear weapons, and will help to build trust and pave the way in due course for greater reductions. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May 2010 will be an important opportunity to agree actions for the future on non-proliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy as well as on nuclear disarmament, but setting target dates for a multilateral disarmament process at this stage would not make headway given current political realities.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to publish a statement of the Government's approval to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review conference to be held in May 2010.

Ivan Lewis: UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/61/70 of 6 December 2006 authorised the 2010 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The vote was 175 (for); 0 (abstentions); 3 (against). All 175 States party to the Treaty present, including the United Kingdom, voted for the resolution. The three non-States party to the Treaty (India, Israel and Pakistan) voted against. A copy of the Resolution, which was published on 3 January 2007 is available at:
	http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/498/63/PDF/N0649863.pdf?OpenElement

Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all official visits to Gaza made by  (a) Ministers,  (b) Embassy officials based in Tel Aviv,  (c) consular officials based in Jerusalem and  (d) Embassy officials based in Cairo in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: We do not hold records of every visit made by officials to Gaza. However, our officials based in Jerusalem and, to a lesser extent, Tel Aviv, have visited Gaza on more than 20 occasions since January 2009. Our consulate general in Jerusalem also has two members of local staff permanently based in Gaza.
	There have been no visits made, in the last three years, by our officials based in Cairo.
	The Secretary of State for Development visited Gaza in March 2009.

Security

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which UK private security companies representatives of the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation have met in each of the last five years; and in which countries these meetings took place.

Ian Lucas: I have been asked to reply.
	UK Trade and Investment, Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) was formed on 1 April 2008, when responsibility for defence export promotion was transferred from the Ministry of Defence.
	There is no accepted definition of private security or private military companies, and no clear line between the two categories. Since forming, UKTI DSO has had meetings with a number of companies who are members of either the British Association of Private Security Companies or the Private Security Company Association of Iraq, including: Armour Group, Control Risks Group, Edinburgh Risk, Janusian Security Risk Management, Aegis Defence Services Ltd, Group 4 Security Risk Management, Maritime Asset and Security Training, Olive Group, Britam Defence Ltd, Team Savant Ltd, Salamanca Risk Management, Pilgrims Group Ltd, Peters and May Global Logistics and Prometheus Medical.
	These meetings have taken place in Algeria, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, USA and in the UK.

Security

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used by the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation to decide whether to assist UK private military and security companies to obtain business abroad.

Ian Lucas: I have been asked to reply.
	Companies operating in the private military and security sector are entitled to the same support as other UK companies, in so far as their activities are legitimate and do not conflict with HMG's foreign policy goals. Eligibility for UKTI support is defined by the overall eligibility guidelines for UKTI trade services. Companies are not eligible for UKTI support if they are offering a product or service which it is illegal to produce or sell in the UK or in the target market, or which will breach export controls, or if the company's business record or business practices or products are likely to cause offence in the overseas market and/or embarrass the UK Government (for example, on corporate social responsibility grounds).
	A copy of the Government 'Guidance on Contacts with Private Military and Security Companies' is in the Libraries of the House and in The National Archives, and is accessible using the following URL:
	http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20080205132101/www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front%3Fpagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1171453877033

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on responsibility for the treatment of Sahrawi refugees on Algeria's territory; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: While Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials do discuss the Western Sahara dispute with their Algerian counterparts on a regular basis, these discussions always take place within the context of supporting the UN Secretary General and his Personal Envoy, Ambassador Christopher Ross, in their efforts to resolve the dispute.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on allowing exit visas for Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed Sahrawi exit visas with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, which I will host on 2 March.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian government on the case of Mr. Sghair, a Sahrawi refugee, detained by the Polisario for three months for attempting to cross into Morocco; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not made any representations to the Algerian authorities about the case of Mr. Sghair, who was allegedly detained by the Polisario in 2008. The FCO has also not received any prior representations about this case.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on allowing entire families overland visits from the refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed overland visits from the refugee camps with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, which I will host on 2 March.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) his Algerian counterpart and  (b) the Polisario on a census to count and register the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with either his Algerian counterpart or the Polisario about a census to record the population of the Tindouf camps. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials in Algiers and London have discussed this topic with the Polisario as part of their regular dialogue with all parties to the Western Sahara dispute.
	My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on Algeria's obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees in relation to the Sahrawi refugee camps; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) his Algerian counterpart and  (b) the Polisario on the United Nations High Commission on Refugees' confidence-building measures programme for the Sahrawi refugee population in the Tindouf camps; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had discussions with either his Algerian counterpart or the Polisario on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confidence building measures programme. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials in Algiers and London have discussed confidence building measures with the Polisario as part of their regular dialogue with all parties to the Western Sahara dispute. The most recent discussions took place in February between the Polisario and Foreign and Commonwealth Officials in London.
	My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ambassador of Algeria on conditions imposed by the Algerian Government and the Polisario on refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the conditions in the Tindouf refugee camps with the Algerian Ambassador. My hon. Friend Bill Rammell, then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March 2010.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US Ambassador on the report of the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants on conditions imposed by Algeria and the Polisario on refugee camps in Tindouf; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants report with the US ambassador. Our officials in Algiers have discussed the report with the US embassy in Algiers and the head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, also in Algiers.

Western Sahara: Asylum

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Algerian counterpart on permission for entire families to leave the Sahrawi refugee camps to travel to Mauritania; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed families travelling between Tindouf and Mauritania with his Algerian counterpart. My hon. Friend Bill Rammell, then Minister responsible for North Africa, did discuss UN led efforts to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara with Abdelqader Mesahel, Algerian Minister responsible for Maghreb Affairs, during the annual UK-Algeria political dialogue in December 2008. The Western Sahara dispute is again on the agenda for the next round of the UK-Algeria political dialogue, scheduled for 2 March 2010.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide assistance to Morocco to seek to ensure that it receives UN recognition of its sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Ivan Lewis: The UK Government regard the status of the disputed non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara as undetermined, pending UN efforts to find a solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK Government fully support the efforts of Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Advertising

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects undertaken by his Department have incurred expenditure of more than £1,000 on advertising in the last 12 months; and what the respective spend is in each such case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 22 February 2010
	In 2009, my Department spent more than £1,000 on advertising the public appointments listed:
	
		
			  Public body and role  £ (VAT inclusive) 
			 Arts Council England, National Members 6,700 
			 BBC Trust, Member 16,562 
			 British Library, Chair 15,372 
			 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, Chair 10,043 
			 English Heritage, Chair 6,351 
			 Horserace Betting Levy Board, Chair 13,314 
			 National Museum of Science and Industry, Chair 16,432 
			 Olympic Lottery Distributor, Member 2,000 
			 S4C, Member 11,403 
			 United Kingdom Anti Doping, Chair and Members 17,980 
			 United Kingdom Film Council, Chair 7,521 
		
	
	Further to this, the Government Olympic Executive spent £5,551.96 in March 2009 advertising for a speech writer and £4,830.08 in September 2009 for a communications officer.
	In October 2009, £4,242.61 was spent on advertising three human resources positions and £8,906.15 on two finance positions.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to his Department was of maintaining its media and social networking sites in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the current financial year, my Department has spent £1808.95 maintaining media and social networking sites which represents software maintenance costs for the complete year. We have no staff dedicated to maintaining media and social networking sites. Any content is provided by staff as part of their normal work.
	Cbinet, a not-for-profit conference for the global creative industries created by DCMS had its own website, to generate interest for the conference and to provide a high quality interactive online experience for virtual delegates not attending the conference.
	Between November 2008 and October 2009, £20,000 was spent on producing blog content (191 articles in total). This included (but was not restricted to) researching and identifying themes related to the cbinet agenda and tweeting (around 15 tweets per week). Also monitoring cbinet content pick up through Google and on other blogs.
	Between November 2008 and October 2009 £3,000 was spent on hosting the entire cbinet website, of which the cbinet blog was one element.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is given in the table.
	
		
			   2008-09  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05( 1) 
			 Unsatisfactory or below 1 3 7 0 - 
			 Total reports undertaken 435 427 459 443 - 
			 (1 )No information available.  Note: No staff members have left as a direct result of the rating received from their performance review, in the period for which the figures are available.

Departmental Responsibilities

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with members of the public in the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Ministers and officials hold many meetings with members of the public as part of the process of policy development.
	To collate the number of meetings held by members of this Department over the past three years would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Training

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on coaching in each of the last three years; and through which bodies such coaching was delivered.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 8 February 2010
	The amount of funding provided by my Department for coaching through UK Sport and Sport England in each of the last three financial years is listed in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   UK Sport  Sport England 
			 2007-08 4,068,002 3,226,000 
			 2008-09 3,585,950 6,305,000 
			 2009-10 2,823,766 6,883,688 
		
	
	The UK Sport funding provides support for coaching through these organisations and schemes:
	Sports Coach UK.
	UK Sport's Elite coach programme.
	The annual UK Sport World Class Coaching Conference.
	The UK Sport Winning Coaches programme.
	Coaching support for National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
	The Sport England funding provides support for coaching through these organisations and schemes:
	Sports Coach UK.
	County Sports Partnerships (CSP) for the Community Sports Coach Scheme, which concluded in June 2009.
	The Coaching System Support Network.
	Recruit into Coaching, jointly delivered by Sport England and Youth Sport Trust.
	Coach Education Funding for NGBs.
	In addition, Sport England regional offices have made awards to support local coaching projects over the last three years. This has been funded through lottery investment as part of the Community Investment Fund.
	Furthermore, Sport England will invest £480 million to support NGB plans from 2009-13, at least £100 million of which will be invested in coaching over this period.

Departmental Travel

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of travel by his Department's staff between England and Scotland in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The cost of travel between England and Scotland in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 6,255 
			 2007-08 1,246 
			 2006-07 7,296 
			 2005-06 6,367 
			 2004-05 6,363 
			 2009-10 (to date) 8,252 
		
	
	There is only partial data for 2007-08 due to the Department changing it's travel booking service provider during that year.

Hackney

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department's aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.
	The impact of bodies and policies of my Department on the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency since 1997 include:
	£230,217 given from Arts Council England to organisations based in Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 2008-09 through the Grants for the Arts programme.
	£222,000 of English Heritage grant offers to the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency in 2008-09.
	Digital Switchover is due to take place in Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 2012. By the time switchover is complete at the end of 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV-the same number that can currently receive analogue.
	£60,000 of Exchequer investment to the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency provided through Sport England since 2004.
	Over £31 million of national lottery grants made to applications from the Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency since 1995.
	The Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency has also benefited from other policies and spending whose impact cannot be broken down by constituency. These include:
	£4 billion of Exchequer funding spent on culture.
	More than £5.5 billion invested in sport by the Government and the national lottery since 1997.
	Almost 750,000 free swims taken in London in the first eight months of the Free Swimming programme.
	A 68 per cent. increase in national museum visits from 1998-99 to 2008-09-10 per cent. of which were by adults from lower socioeconomic groups.
	£416.6 million in grants allocated by English Heritage since 1997.
	48 per cent. of buildings on the original 1999 Buildings at Risk Register having their future secured.
	90 per cent. of all pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE or sport per week in 2008 from an estimated 25 per cent. in 2003-04-exceeding our target.

Olympic Games: Canada

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding he is providing to Team GB (Ltd) and the British Ski and Snowboard Federation to support participation in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Gerry Sutcliffe: UK Sport has advised that they have invested nearly £6.5 million of public funding in Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports in the run-up to Vancouver.
	The British Ski and Snowboard Federation and their athletes on UK Sport's World Class Performance programme received £620,000 of Olympic funding and £205,000 of Paralympic funding. This investment has been supported by Talented Athlete Scholarship scheme (TASS) funding for Winter Sports, totaling £4 million in the last four years, of which over £700,000 has been invested in promising Skiers and Snowboarders.
	The Winter Olympic team has also received support from the English Institute of Sport and UK Sport's world leading Research and Innovation and Talent Identification programmes.
	As part of the contingency arrangements, UK Sport has agreed to provide approximately £21,500 of additional funds to the British Olympic Association. This amount has been ring-fenced for the support of two additional elite athletes and their immediate technical and coaching teams, to participate in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from his Department's buildings in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) records and reports its environmental performance on a financial year basis. Data on energy use on the UK estate, and the corresponding carbon emissions, are reported in accordance with the 'Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate' targets and are available on the websites of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC).
	The carbon dioxide emissions from our UK estate were 4,387 tonnes in 2007-08 and 3,945 tonnes in 2008-09.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Michael Foster: Information on the numbers, proportion and average (median) salary of Home civil service staff employed by the Department for International Development (DFID) who have declared a disability are set out in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) statistics published by the Office of National Statistics on 20 January 2010, which is available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cs0110.pdf

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much bilateral aid his Department provided to Somalia in the latest year for which information is available; and in what form that aid was provided.

Gareth Thomas: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) expenditure in developing countries are published in 'Statistics on International Development', which is available in the House Library and online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	DFID's bilateral assistance to Somalia in 2008-09 was £33.48 million. This assistance is broken down by aid type in the following table.
	
		
			  Type of aid  £000 
			 Humanitarian assistance 18 288 
			 Bilateral aid delivered through a multilateral organisation 9 376 
			 Bilateral aid delivered through an NGO 5 579 
			 Technical co-operation 227 
			 Non-budget support financial aid 9

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Public Places

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for an offence of not obeying an instruction to stop drinking in a designated public place in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: The number of prosecutions, convictions and penalty notices for disorder for not obeying an instruction to stop drinking in a designated public place in each year from 2002-08 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table. Data prior to 2002 are not available as the offence of alcohol consumption in a public place came into force on 1 September 2001.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in autumn 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants issued a penalty notice of disorder, proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for not obeying an instruction to stop drinking in a designated public place, 2002-08, England and Wales( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Offence description   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Failure to obey an instruction to stop alcohol consumption in designated public place (Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, Sec 12) Penalty notice of disorder - - 485 712 1,061 1,544 1,761 
			  Proceeded against 37 108 122 101 101 113 (5)153 
			  Found guilty 34 94 96 76 73 98 (5)123 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against. (4) The offence of alcohol consumption in designated public place (section 12 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001) came into force on 1 September 2001. (5) Excludes prosecutions and convictions data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Anti-Semitism

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1127W, on anti-Semitism, whether figures on occurrences of anti-Semitism have been added to the annual data requirements for police community safety figures;
	(2)  with reference to the answer of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1154W, on anti-Semitism, whether the five data requirements of hate crime have been added to the annual police community safety figures; and what data has been collected on anti-Semitic incidents.

Alan Johnson: The Annual Data Requirement (ADR) has not yet been extended to cover crime data disaggregated by the five hate crime strands. The situation is being resolved in order that this data can be collected as part of the ADR from April 2011. This is the next occasion in the annual data cycle that this will be possible. The extension to the ADR will not enable us to disaggregate the data on racist offences in order that we can identify specific data on anti-Semitic crimes.
	The ACPO National Community Tension Team (NCTT) has been collating data on anti-Semitic crimes since April 2008. The data are collated as an intelligence document and has not been published previously. We are seeking publication of this data at the earliest opportunity in order that indicative figures on anti-Semitic hate crime for the year 2009-10 can be made available.

Anti-Semitism

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1154W, on anti-Semitism, what meetings the cross-government champion on reducing incitement on the internet has attended in that role; and what the outcomes were of these meetings.

Alan Johnson: In his role as cross-Government internet hate crime champion, Home Office Minister Mr. Alan Campbell has met with the Internet Watch Foundation and the Trades Union Congress. The topics for discussion were the blocking of internet service providers and tackling the Redwatch website respectively.
	Since becoming the cross-Government champion, the Minister has overseen the progress of the Internet Hate Crime Action Plan. This is part of the wider Cross Governmental Hate Crime Action Plan. Work on this plan has included the creation of an online reporting mechanism for hate crime on the internet.

Arrests

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of citizens arrests made by the public in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Information on citizens' arrests is not collected centrally.

Arrests: Football

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests on average were made at football matches in  (a) each police force area and  (b) England and Wales in each year since 2003.

Alan Johnson: Data on arrests in connection with football matches are collated and reported annually on the basis of club supported and type of offence, rather than geographical location of offence. The data for part  (a), therefore, is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Home Office annually publishes statistics for football-related arrests and football banning orders in England and Wales. These statistics for the football seasons 2003-04 to 2008-09 can be accessed on the Home Office website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/football-disorder/index.html
	Information in answer to part  (b) is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of arrests per regulated football match in England and Wales 
			  Football season  Football related-arrests in England and Wales  Regulated football matches in England and Wales  Average arrests per regulated football match 
			 2003-04 3,826 2,433 1.573 
			 2004-05 3,548 2,950 1.203 
			 2005-06 3,274 2,974 1.101 
			 2006-07 3,716 3,088 1.203 
			 2007-08 3,812 3,132 1.217 
			 2008-09 3,734 3,121 1.196

Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of  (a) arson,  (b) violence against the person,  (c) sexual offences,  (d) robbery and  (e) burglary have been recorded as having taken place on the grounds of (i) educational establishments and (ii) hospitals or medical centres in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: Information on the location in which violent offences are committed is not collected centrally.

Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which constituencies the rate of  (a) violent crime,  (b) sexual offences and  (c) robbery increased between 2002-03 and 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 22 February 2010
	Information is not available in the form requested as police recorded crime data is not specifically collected at constituency level.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by his Department on the Together we can end violence against women and girls consultation  (a) in total,  (b) on production and distribution of the consultation document,  (c) on opinion polling,  (d) on mobile roadshows and  (e) on production and distribution of the final strategy document.

Alan Campbell: Between March and May 2009 the Government undertook the largest ever cross-government consultation on Violence Against Women and Girls with the public and with frontline experts and staff.
	The following funding was provided by the Government towards the Violence Against Women and Girls Consultation:
	 (a) The total amount spent on the consultation process was approximately £425,000.
	 (b) Production and distribution of the consultation document came to £10,000.
	 (c) The MORI poll conducted cost £14,000.
	 (d) The amount spent on the mobile roadshows during the 12 week consultation, including staffing, was in the region of £380,000. This includes the following:
	Nine regional stakeholder events attended by nearly 800 professionals;
	On-line consultation questions-more than 5,000 surveys were completed and 2,930 consultation documents were downloaded.
	We received approximately 1,000 e-mails to the consultation inbox.
	25 focus groups facilitated by The Women's National Commission with over 300 particularly marginalised and disadvantaged women, including asylum seekers and refugees, women involved in prostitution and victims of domestic and sexual violence.
	The roadshow bus which visited 40 towns across England. Approximately 20,000 leaflets were distributed and 2,400 surveys were returned.
	In total 10,000 people responded to the consultation in person or online.
	 (e) The current production, distribution and launch costs of the final strategy document are £20,000. It is possible that due to high demand, further copies will need to be produced.

Cybercrime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many powers relating to cybercrime have been  (a) created and  (b) amended by legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The Government have amended the UK legislation relating to cybercrime, the Computer Misuse Act 1990, to ensure that the Act continues to be relevant as technology changes.
	 In the Police  Justice Act 2006
	We broadened the definition of the Section 3 offence to clarify that all means of interference with a computer system are criminalised-in particular ensuring that adequate provision is made to criminalise all forms of denial of service (DoS) attacks.
	We increased the maximum penalty for the Section 1 offence of unauthorised access to computer material to two years to better reflect the seriousness of these offences as more and more sensitive systems and information have external connections and also ensure that the offence is extraditable.
	We added the Section 3A offence, which created a new offence of making, adapting or supplying articles for use in computer misuse offences to discourage the market in the production and distribution of hacking tools.
	In the Serious Crime Act 2007 Part 2 we created a new general offence of encouraging and assisting crime. This offence covers both online and offline offending and replaced the offence of enabling unauthorised access to computer material created in the Police and Justice Act.
	Both of these Acts also contained a number of minor and consequential amendments to other parts of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
	Additionally, changes were made to territorial extent and the relevance of external law sections of the Computer Misuse Act, through the Criminal Justice (Terrorism  Conspiracy) Act 1998.

Departmental Advertising

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on advertising by  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in 2009.

Phil Woolas: The following table summarises the Home Office, the UK Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) forecast spend on advertising for the financial year 2009-10.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Home Office 8,578,052 
			 UKBA (1)1,577,290 
			 IPS 1,326,478 
			 CRB 12,216 
			 (1) UKBA spend includes an estimated £50,000 on advertising campaigns abroad. 
		
	
	The activity that has been scheduled may still be subject to alteration and the total for each media may change.
	The figures quoted are for net media costs and do not include production costs or fees, except for the IPS spend which includes production costs for below the line advertising.
	Recruitment advertising has not been included as it is not done centrally but carried out across the Department and hence spend could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department of its international travel has been since May 2007.

Phil Woolas: The expenditure incurred on overseas travel between May 2007 and January 2010 is set out in the table:
	
		
			   £000 
			 Home Office, including UKBA 9,480 
			 Identity and Passport Service 250 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 19 
			 Total 9,749 
		
	
	The above numbers include both official and ministerial travel. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the civil service management code and the ministerial code.

Detection Rates: Greater Manchester

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate was in  (a) Bolton and  (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: From l April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very small limited set of circumstances. For this reason the preferred method of presenting detections data is to use sanction detections. The sanction detection rates for all offences detected in Bolton and Greater Manchester from 2004-05 onwards are given in the table.
	Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.
	
		
			  Sanction detection rates for all offences detected in the  Bolton Metropolitan b orough  d ivision and the Greater Manchester police force area 
			  Percentage detected 
			   Bolton Metropolitan borough division  Greater Manchester police force area 
			 2004-05 20 20 
			 2005-06 27 24 
			 2006-07 27 24 
			 2007-08 26 25 
			 2008-09 22 25

Driving Offences

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in  (a) Milton Keynes and  (b) England were convicted of (i) a motoring offence that resulted in a fatality and (ii) careless driving in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts of offences of causing death by dangerous driving and offences of careless driving in the Thames Valley police force area and England, from 2004 to 2008 (latest available) is given in the table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at town or local authority area level. Therefore data are included in the table for the Thames Valley police force area.
	Data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts in the Thames Valley police force area and England of causing death by dangerous driving( 1)  and various careless driving offences( 2) ,in England from 2004 - 08( 3) 
			   Year 
			  Area/offence  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Thames Valley  
			 Death by dangerous driving 12 12 19 24 16 
			 Careless driving 673 754 798 884 2,975 
			  England  
			 Death by dangerous driving 303 324 279 302 259 
			 Careless driving 19,706 19,323 18,204 27,106 55,904 
			 (1) Includes the offences of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving when drunk, causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving, causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured and aggravated vehicle taking where the driving of the vehicle causes an accident resulting in the death of any person. (2) Includes the offences of driving without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other road users, failure to comply with an order to stop a moving vehicle, use of hand held mobile phone while driving, causing or permitting the use of a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle, Using a mobile phone while supervising the holder of a provisional driving licence to drive a motor vehicle on the road, breach of requirements as to control of vehicle, position which does not give proper control or full view of road and traffic ahead etc. and other careless driving offences and racing. (3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Note: 1. The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice. [Ref. IOS 47-10, PQC 313949].

Driving Offences: M4

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have received a fixed penalty notice for using the bus lane on the M4 in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not available.
	Data on fixed penalty notices for traffic offences reported to the Home Office are broken down by police force area only, and do not specify the specific location where offences took place.

Driving Under Influence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breathalyser tests were conducted by the police on drivers in each police force area in each year since 1998; and how many people  (a) passed,  (b) failed and  (c) refused to take that test in each such area in each such year.

Alan Johnson: The figures requested are shown in the following tables. The latest published year is 2007. Figures for tests failed and refusals are combined as they are not reported separately to the Home Office.
	
		
			  Number of breath tests carried out, by police force area, 1998 to 2007 
			  Police force area  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 19,695 19,247 15,805 15372 15,140 24,492 27,297 21,928 15,779 15,655 
			 Bedfordshire 5,295 2,886 3,262 4,212 6,150 6,633 7,764 6,704 3,093 2,578 
			 Cambridgeshire 17,800 13,600 12,800 12,700 13,000 12,300 12,300 12,500 12,500 12,000 
			 Cheshire 23,315 20,505 15,800 13,586 12,224 11,854 20,155 22,005 35,747 32,210 
			 Cleveland 34,181 28,601 18,818 14,054 10,995 8,716 8,056 10,826 11,308 10,140 
			 Cumbria 9,361 7,083 6,076 5,089 4,694 5,513 8,430 13,577 13,804 16,217 
			 Derbyshire 35,684 49,237 52,001 42,147 37,931 32,570 31,023 17,685 16,019 15,873 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,695 14,731 12,977 13,478 12,618 10,914 10,690 10,423 13,562 16,687 
			 Dorset 10,056 9,203 12,298 10,424 10,431 8,464 6,938 7,917 8,706 8,038 
			 Durham 7,350 12,668 15,306 16,322 9,535 7,558 6,080 7,734 6,945 8,160 
			 Dyfed-Powys 9,232 9,922 7,381 7,008 7,344 5,982 6,686 6,917 7,291 9,429 
			 Essex 28,358 24,077 27,179 18,851 16,139 15,481 25,337 34,249 28,436 25,946 
			 Gloucestershire 9,335 8,330 8,202 9,646 9,339 8,647 7,144 9,122 10,090 8,262 
			 Greater Manchester 31,175 21,479 27,300 23,939 23,200 20,900 19,900 18,900 18,100 18,025 
			 Gwent 11,211 10,639 10,133 6,428 3,784 2,794 1,632 1,957 1,702 2,374 
			 Hampshire 27,348 31,552 35,243 35,189 35,219 37,529 38,399 38,323 34,772 26,208 
			 Hertfordshire 8,147 6,959 5,963 5,460 4,289 4,011 7,289 11,900 12,693 12,030 
			 Humberside 8,284 8,057 9,371 7,477 8,714 6,545 5,619 5,717 10,009 11,885 
			 Kent 27,528 32,706 32,189 32,229 34,165 24,553 32,019 31,187 31,684 28,629 
			 Lancashire 20,283 19,075 15,542 10,016 10,562 7,981 10,204 12,990 16,359 19,158 
			 Leicestershire 20,161 21,127 18,751 14,891 14,526 12,007 15,799 14,419 9,980 6,644 
			 Lincolnshire 25,917 20,998 12,101 13,593 9,013 12,076 11,310 11,431 10,581 14,722 
			 London, City of 3,309 1,746 1,056 1,085 1,413 1,237 683 1,117 1,553 1,375 
			 Merseyside 18,671 18,619 12,787 7,169 6,952 7,722 5,019 8,003 10,642 12,829 
			 Metropolitan Police 111,448 99,832 93,807 65,084 57,206 55,993 61,535 67,461 65,025 66,919 
			 Norfolk 12,419 11,641 9,074 9,096 5,304 4,030 4,805 10,367 7,844 6,366 
			 North Wales 15,236 15,862 14,960 15,141 19,597 17,337 24,177 21,812 19,597 23,034 
			 North Yorkshire 9,911 8,090 6,731 7,431 7,284 8,254 8,589 9,339 10,129 10,526 
			 Northamptonshire 4,664 5,333 5,799 4,539 3,343 3,126 3,200 5,196 4,259 4,076 
			 Northumbria 12,183 12,496 12,727 12,368 11,796 11,123 9,776 9,301 7,992 7,392 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,880 8,361 8,382 7,682 5,799 7,146 8,241 7,923 7,172 7,250 
			 South Wales 24,886 20,674 17,772 19,329 17,496 16,863 16,733 16,269 17,087 19,013 
			 South Yorkshire 12,614 16,094 19,243 18,017 14,414 12,117 6,494 13,689 10,267 11,390 
			 Staffordshire 15,428 10,148 7,706 4,706 5,261 5,073 13,666 14,322 12,723 12,369 
			 Suffolk 15,636 15,134 9,159 8,588 8,868 11,566 10,569 8,854 9,059 10,435 
			 Surrey 11,364 11,696 12,393 13,311 7,504 8,858 9,484 9,605 8,278 6,915 
			 Sussex 17,395 17,885 20,845 21,805 17,297 17,150 15,210 17,983 18,742 16,805 
			 Thames Valley 34,151 30,273 30,824 26,158 25,308 16,049 15,363 14,629 13,538 14,850 
			 Warwickshire 8,661 8,604 7,057 5,828 5,068 5,848 5,496 4,820 4,458 4,877 
			 West Mercia 19,090 12,340 8,930 9,070 8,215 6,289 7,991 8,833 11,267 10,438 
			 West Midlands 24,099 21,324 16,221 12,203 10,510 10,960 6,579 6,900 6,229 5,611 
			 West Yorkshire 22,894 18,807 18,278 17,219 16,739 14,157 16,921 15,367 18,011 18,724 
			 Wiltshire 7,118 6,841 6,501 5,941 5,850 5,867 7,398 7,167 8,708 7,688 
			 England and Wales 815,468 764,482 714,750 623,881 570,236 534,285 578,000 607,368 601,740 599,752 
			  Note: Figures do not always match those in each year's breath test statistics publication, due to subsequent amendments being incorporated. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of breath tests  passed( 1) , by police force area, 1998 to 2007 
			  Police force area  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 16,646 16,032 12,761 12,502 12,096 21,195 24,269 18,746 13,044 13,210 
			 Bedfordshire 4,451 2,116 2,543 3,500 5,269 5,517 6,621 5,762 2,162 1,518 
			 Cambridgeshire 16,527 12,458 11,707 11,591 11,714 11,041 11,045 11,187 11,037 10,595 
			 Cheshire 21,733 18,856 13,330 11,017 9,802 9,459 17,725 20,048 33,548 30,164 
			 Cleveland 33,262 27,754 18,020 13,209 10,215 7,626 7,382 10,094 10,484 9,517 
			 Cumbria 8,571 6,522 5,477 4,350 4,157 4,865 7,747 12,758 13,011 15,406 
			 Derbyshire 33,891 47,382 50,324 40,562 36,262 30,893 28,894 16,360 14,892 14,877 
			 Devon and Cornwall 13,466 12,046 10,369 10,697 9,677 7,955 7,887 7,851 10,945 14,443 
			 Dorset 8,545 7,926 10,914 8,852 8,853 6,756 5,255 6,109 6,823 6,210 
			 Durham 6,137 11,731 14,290 15,237 8,429 6,423 4,869 6,661 5,890 7,191 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,131 8,904 6,538 6,071 6,311 4,894 5,625 5,922 6,309 8,542 
			 Essex 25,659 21,349 24,751 16,242 13,452 12,727 22,354 31,536 25,648 23,437 
			 Gloucestershire 8,005 7,036 6,827 8,209 7,811 7,215 5,863 7,804 8,565 6,908 
			 Greater Manchester 24,749 16,680 18,767 16,179 15,800 13,800 13,600 13,500 12,790 12,800 
			 Gwent 10,112 9,594 9,120 5,179 2,667 1,530 377 753 422 1,291 
			 Hampshire 23,647 27,795 31,578 31,293 31,226 33,532 34,597 34,046 31,051 21,695 
			 Hertfordshire 6,172 5,076 3,973 3,376 2,254 1,936 5,261 10,032 10,827 10,146 
			 Humberside 6,756 6,848 8,125 6,363 7,535 5,003 4,912 4,979 8,448 10,833 
			 Kent 24,448 29,234 29,190 29,078 31,178 21,570 28,841 29,012 29,447 26,876 
			 Lancashire 18,373 17,221 13,942 7,548 9,102 5,099 7,308 10,129 13,410 16,471 
			 Leicestershire 17,883 19,128 16,709 12,733 12,144 9,727 13,577 12,465 8,121 4,746 
			 Lincolnshire 24,991 20,137 11,318 12,903 8,158 11,011 10,372 10,436 9,420 13,621 
			 London, City of 2,840 1,448 814 802 1,126 998 547 933 1,303 1,166 
			 Merseyside 16,179 16,382 10,587 5,038 4,649 5,423 2,738 5,913 8,676 10,898 
			 Metropolitan Police 96,642 88,476 84,035 53,003 43,458 39,944 45,816 50,784 46,578 49,646 
			 Norfolk 11,525 10,805 8,316 7,931 4,366 2,822 3,816 9,321 6,455 5,163 
			 North Wales 13,719 14,319 13,388 13,746 18,107 15,974 22,743 20,442 18,455 21,313 
			 North Yorkshire 8,431 6,766 5,589 6,294 6,109 7,085 7,095 7,917 8,846 9,246 
			 Northamptonshire 3,462 4,082 4,360 3,132 2,027 1,861 1,985 4,063 2,931 2,755 
			 Northumbria 8,950 8,974 9,294 9,013 8,787 8,543 7,592 6,669 5,355 5,001 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,503 5,917 6,025 5,370 3,674 4,690 5,733 5,478 4,852 4,992 
			 South Wales 21,685 17,980 15,097 16,275 14,591 13,860 13,713 13,284 14,305 16,538 
			 South Yorkshire 10,944 14,102 17,045 16,073 12,396 10,324 4,075 9,977 7,413 8,768 
			 Staffordshire 13,328 8,330 6,492 3,080 3,450 3,224 11,774 12,452 10,917 10,688 
			 Suffolk 14,458 14,019 8,352 7,632 7,833 10,234 9,372 7,837 8,054 9,645 
			 Surrey 10,096 10,102 10,826 11,792 6,386 7,917 8,417 8,562 7,408 6,214 
			 Sussex 15,431 15,938 19,050 19,665 15,486 15,158 13,017 15,752 16,519 15,010 
			 Thames Valley 29,194 25,363 25,508 21,464 17,618 9,746 11,398 8,756 9,717 11,362 
			 Warwickshire 7,785 7,591 6,119 4,890 4,137 4,983 4,758 4,035 3,869 4,456 
			 West Mercia 17,565 10,791 6,717 6,820 5,966 3,870 5,561 6,137 8,762 8,261 
			 West Midlands 17,999 16,111 12,268 7,548 5,470 6,195 1,749 1,981 1,645 1,388 
			 West Yorkshire 18,202 14,947 14,158 13,255 12,247 10,594 12,633 10,681 12,083 12,297 
			 Wiltshire 6,036 5,830 5,514 4,819 4,765 4,717 6,067 5,920 7,573 6,858 
			 England and Wales 713,129 670,098 620,127 524,333 466,760 427,936 474,980 503,084 498,010 502,162 
			 (1) Figures derived by subtracting numbers of positive/refused from total tests conducted.  Note: Figures do not always match those in each year's breath test statistics publication, due to subsequent amendments being incorporated. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of breath tests  positive or refused( 1) , by police force area, 1998 to 2007 
			  Police force area  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			
			 Avon and Somerset 3,049 3,215 3,044 2,870 3,044 3,297 3,028 3,182 2,735 2,445 
			 Bedfordshire 844 770 719 712 881 1,116 1,143 942 931 1,060 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,273 1,142 1,093 1,109 1,286 1,259 1,255 1,313 1,463 1,405 
			 Cheshire 1,582 1,649 2,470 2,569 2,422 2,395 2,430 1,957 2,199 2,046 
			 Cleveland 919 847 798 845 780 1,090 674 732 824 623 
			 Cumbria 790 561 599 739 537 648 683 819 793 811 
			 Derbyshire 1,793 1,855 1,677 1,585 1,669 1,677 2,129 1,325 1,127 996 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,229 2,685 2,608 2,781 2,941 2,959 2,803 2,572 2,617 2,244 
			 Dorset 1,511 1,277 1,384 1,572 1,578 1,708 1,683 1,808 1,883 1,828 
			 Durham 1,213 937 1,016 1,085 1,106 1,135 1,211 1,073 1,055 969 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,101 1,018 843 937 1,033 1,088 1,061 995 982 887 
			 Essex 2,699 2,728 2,428 2,609 2,687 2,754 2,983 2,713 2,788 2,509 
			 Gloucestershire 1,330 1,294 1,375 1,437 1,528 1,432 1,281 1,318 1,525 1,354 
			 Greater Manchester 6,426 4,799 8,533 7,760 7,400 7,100 6,300 5,400 5,310 5,225 
			 Gwent 1,099 1,045 1,013 1,249 1,117 1,264 1,255 1,204 1,280 1,083 
			 Hampshire 3,701 3,757 3,665 3,896 3,993 3,997 3,802 4,277 3,721 4,513 
			 Hertfordshire 1,975 1,883 1,990 2,084 2,035 2,075 2,028 1,868 1,866 1,884 
			 Humberside 1,528 1,209 1,246 1,114 1,179 1,542 707 738 1,561 1,052 
			 Kent 3,080 3,472 2,999 3,151 2,987 2,983 3,178 2,175 2,237 1,753 
			 Lancashire 1,910 1,854 1,600 2,468 1,460 2,882 2,896 2,861 2,949 2,687 
			 Leicestershire 2,278 1,999 2,042 2,158 2,382 2,280 2,222 1,954 1,859 1,898 
			 Lincolnshire 926 861 783 690 855 1,065 938 995 1,161 1,101 
			 London, City of 469 298 242 283 287 239 136 184 250 209 
			 Merseyside 2,492 2,237 2,200 2,131 2,303 2,299 2,281 2,090 1,966 1,931 
			 Metropolitan Police 14,806 11,356 9,772 12,081 13,748 16,049 15,719 16,677 18,447 17,273 
			 Norfolk 894 836 758 1,165 938 1,208 989 1,046 1,389 1,203 
			 North Wales 1,517 1,543 1,572 1,395 1,490 1,363 1,434 1,370 1,142 1,721 
			 North Yorkshire 1,480 1,324 1,142 1,137 1,175 1,169 1,494 1,422 1,283 1,280 
			 Northamptonshire 1,202 1,251 1,439 1,407 1,316 1,265 1,215 1,133 1,328 1,321 
			 Northumbria 3,233 3,522 3,433 3,355 3,009 2,580 2,184 2,632 2,637 2,391 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,377 2,444 2,357 2,312 2,125 2,456 2,508 2,445 2,320 2,258 
			 South Wales 3,201 2,694 2,675 3,054 2,905 3,003 3,020 2,985 2,782 2,475 
			 South Yorkshire 1,670 1,992 2,198 1,944 2,018 1,793 2,419 3,712 2,854 2,622 
			 Staffordshire 2,100 1,818 1,214 1,626 1,811 1,849 1,892 1,870 1,806 1,681 
			 Suffolk 1,178 1,115 807 956 1,035 1,332 1,197 1,017 1,005 790 
			 Surrey 1,268 1,594 1,567 1,519 1,118 941 1,067 1,043 870 701 
			 Sussex 1,964 1,947 1,795 2,140 1,811 1,992 2,193 2,231 2,223 1,795 
			 Thames Valley 4,957 4,910 5,316 4,694 7,690 6,303 3,965 5,873 3,821 3,488 
			 Warwickshire 876 1,013 938 938 931 865 738 785 589 421 
			 West Mercia 1,525 1,549 2,213 2,250 2,249 2,419 2,430 2,696 2,505 2,177 
			 West Midlands 6,100 5,213 3,953 4,655 5,040 4,765 4,830 4,919 4,584 4,223 
			 West Yorkshire 4,692 3,860 4,120 3,964 4,492 3,563 4,288 4,686 5,928 6,427 
			 Wiltshire 1,082 1,011 987 1,122 1,085 1,150 1,331 1,247 1,135 830 
			 England and Wales 102,339 94,384 94,623 99,548 103,476 106,349 103,020 104,284 103,730 97,590 
			 (1) Separate figures for positive (failed) and refused not collected.  Note: Figures do not always match those in each year's breath test statistics publication, due to subsequent amendments being incorporated.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas his Department issued in  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2010 on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The number of visas issued at our visa sections in Chisinau, Kiev and Tirana in the calendar years 2007-09 are shown in the table. The number of applications received and refused are also shown.
	The data for 2009 is for the period January to September. Visa statistics for the final quarter of 2009 are not due to be published until 27 February.
	
		
			   Post  Applications  Issued  Refused 
			 2007 Chisinau 2,781 2,221 553 
			  Kiev 36,510 33,051 3,126 
			  Tirana 9,735 6,951 2,695 
			  Total 49,026 42,223 6,374 
			  
			 2008 Chisinau 1,817 1,113 547 
			  Kiev 33,120 29,067 3,918 
			  Tirana 8,713 4,653 3,574 
			  Total 43,650 34,833 8,039 
			  
			 2009 Chisinau 1,157 800 393 
			  Kiev 23,866 20,678 2,994 
			  Tirana 4,234 2,986 1,371 
			  Total 29,257 24,464 4,758 
		
	
	The data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals of visa decisions taken in  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau were (i) upheld and (ii) dismissed in (A) each of the last three years and (B) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The number of appeals against decisions taken at our visa sections in Chisinau, Kiev and Tirana that were (i) received; (ii) allowed and (iii) dismissed, in the calendar years 2007-09, are shown in the following table.
	The data for 2009 is for the period January to September. Visa statistics for the final quarter of 2009 are not due to be published until 27 February.
	
		
			  Post  Year  Received  Allowed  Dismissed 
			 Chisinau 2007 104 25 20 
			  2008 95 40 36 
			  2009 70 29 13 
			 Total  346 130 98 
			  
			 Kiev 2007 369 95 146 
			  2008 409 80 126 
			  2009 327 88 115 
			 Total  1,440 354 523 
			  
			 Tirana 2007 487 80 234 
			  2008 1,265 307 285 
			  2009 569 415 379 
			 Total  2,757 917 1,191 
			  Note: The data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals there were of visa decisions relating to applications received in  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) in 2010 on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The number of appeals against decisions taken at our visa sections in Chisinau, Kiev and Tirana that were received in the calendar years 2007-09, are shown in the following table. The number of appeals that were (i) allowed and (ii) dismissed in those years is also shown.
	The data for 2009 is for the period January to September. Visa statistics for the final quarter of 2009 are not due to be published until 27 February.
	
		
			  Post  Year  Received  Allowed  Dismissed 
			 Chisinau 2007 104 25 20 
			  2008 95 40 36 
			  2009 70 29 13 
			 Total  346 130 98 
			  
			 Kiev 2007 369 95 146 
			  2008 409 80 126 
			  2009 327 88 115 
			 Total  1,440 354 523 
			  
			 Tirana 2007 487 80 234 
			  2008 1,265 307 285 
			  2009 569 415 379 
			 Total  2,757 917 1,191 
			  Note: The data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications were refused in  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The number of visa applications refused at our visa sections in Chisinau, Kiev and Tirana in the calendar years 2007-09 are shown in the table. The number of applications received and visas issued are also shown.
	The data for 2009 is for the period January to September. Visa statistics for the final quarter of 2009 are not due to be published until 27 February.
	
		
			   Post  Applications  Issued  Refused 
			 2007 Chisinau 2,781 2,221 553 
			  Kiev 36,510 33,051 3,126 
			  Tirana 9,735 6,951 2,695 
			  Total 49,026 42,223 6,374 
			  
			 2008 Chisinau 1,817 1,113 547 
			  Kiev 33,120 29,067 3,918 
			  Tirana 8,713 4,653 3,574 
			  Total 43,650 34,833 8,039 
			  
			 2009 Chisinau 1,157 800 393 
			  Kiev 23,866 20,678 2,994 
			  Tirana 4,234 2,986 1,371 
			  Total 29,257 24,464 4,758 
		
	
	The data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister with responsibility for entry clearance last visited  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau.

Phil Woolas: To date I have not visited the visa sections in Tirana, Kiev and Chisinau.

Entry Clearances: Eastern Europe

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on average how long it took for an explanatory statement relating to a visa decision to be sent to London from  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: During 2009, the average length of time that it took for an Entry Clearance Officer's explanatory statement to be sent to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal from our visa sections in  (a) Tirana,  (b) Kiev and  (c) Chisinau following receipt of an appeal, was as follows:
	
		
			  Average time to despatch Explanatory Statements-2009 
			   Weeks 
			 Tirana 10 
			 Kiev 8 
			 Chisinau 10

Entry Clearances: Married People

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applications for spouse settlement visas was rejected in each of the last five years; how much revenue accrued in fees in respect of reapplications; and what the percentage increase in fee charges was in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 22 February 2010
	 The following table shows the percentage of applications for spouse/civil partner settlement visas that were refused in each of the last five financial years:
	
		
			  FY  Percentage refused 
			 2004-05 15 
			 2005-06 16 
			 2006-07 16 
			 2007-08 19 
			 2008-09 21 
			  Source: Internal management information-International Group 
		
	
	Revenue accrued in respect of re-submissions cannot be provided as it is not possible to extract this information from the recording system.
	The following table shows the percentage increase for fee charges for spouse settlement visas in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			   Percentage fee increase  Fee (£) 
			 2004-05 0 260 
			 2005-06 0 260 
			 2006-07 0 260 
			 2007-08 92 500 
			 2008-09 3 515 
			  Source: Published Fee Rates

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tier 4 student applications are pending in each consulate in the Indian sub-continent as a result of the suspension of processing; how many dependants are included in such applications; whether such applications will be considered against the criteria in force at the time of their application or under the new criteria; and whether applicants enrolled in education institutions which have subsequently had their licence to sponsor suspended or revoked will be refused a visa.

Phil Woolas: The suspension of tier 4 student visa applications in North India, Bangladesh and Nepal on 1 February means that we are not accepting any new applications in this category. No applications, including those from dependents, are therefore pending as a result of the suspension.
	Applications submitted before 1 February are being processed as normal against the criteria in force at the time of their application.
	The suspension will be lifted in North India from 1 March for tier 4 students intending to undertake higher education courses (foundation degree, undergraduate, postgraduate)
	Applicants intending to study at educational institutions which have had their sponsor licence subsequently revoked will not meet the requirements for entry and will be refused a visa. In cases where the sponsor licence has been suspended, a decision on the visa application will be deferred until a decision is made on whether to revoke or re-instate the licence.

Firearms and Explosives: Licensing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many certificates were issued for  (a) firearms and  (b) explosives in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: Available data on firearm and shotgun certificates granted in England and Wales relating to new and renewal applications are given on Table A. These are taken from the most recent Home Office Statistical Bulletin on firearm certificates, which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0509.pdf
	Due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006, firearm certificates data for 2006-07 are not available centrally. Data for 2008-09 are scheduled for publication on 25 March 2010.
	Available information on explosive certificates granted by police forces in England and Wales for acquisition and keeping and acquisition only relates to the period 1998 to 2005-06 and are given in Table B. Data from 2006-07 to 2008-09 cannot be provided due to disproportionate cost. The Home Office ceased collection of explosive certificates data in 2009-10.
	
		
			  Table A: Firearm and shotgun certificates granted, new and renewal applications: England and Wales, 1998 to 2007-08 
			  Number (rounded) 
			   Firearms  Shotguns 
			   New applications  Renewal applications  New applications  Renewal applications 
			 1998 5,900 (1)1,600 16,900 (1)6,600 
			 1999 5,000 (1)250 15,600 (1)2,500 
			 2000 5,900 26,200 18,200 141,300 
			 2001 7,100 31,300 22,700 162,400 
			 2002 8,600 28,800 25,600 152,700 
			 2002-03 8,600 25,100 26,100 125,200 
			 2003-04 7,700 (1)4,100 22,500 (1)13,500 
			 2004-05 9,100 (1)8,300 23,400 (1)46,600 
			 2005-06 8,600 29,100 25,200 141,100 
			 2006-07(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2007-08 11,600 30,200 32,400 123,800 
			 n/a denotes figures not available (1) The extension of the period of the certificates from three years to five years in 1995 meant that no renewals were due in 1998 and 1999. Those shown are delayed applications from 1997. Figures for 2003-04 and 2004-05 also reflect the renewal cycle change. (2) Figures are not available due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B :Explosive certificates granted for acquisition and keeping and acquisition only, new and renewal applications: England and Wales, 1998 to 2005-06 
			   Acquisition and keeping  Acquisition only 
			   New applications  Renewal applications  New applications  Renewal applications 
			 1998 1,644 1,843 761 1,366 
			 1999 713 1,340 627 1,452 
			 2000 1,016 2,069 703 1,597 
			 2001 699 2,292 622 1,733 
			 2002 694 1,678 714 1,736 
			 2002-03 647 1,571 662 1,600 
			 2003-04(1) 552 1,997 664 1,444 
			 2004-05 501 2,223 698 1,603 
			 2005-06(2) 456 1,776 695 1,491 
			 (1) Excludes data from Metropolitan, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire police forces. (2) Excludes data from Hertfordshire police.

Football Banning Orders

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many football banning orders were  (a) issued and  (b) breached in each year since 2003.

Alan Johnson: The data requested are gathered and reported in accordance with the period of a football season rather than calendar year. The following table provides the number of football banning orders imposed during each football season since 2003-04 and the number of arrests for breach of an order. The data provide no distinction between low level technical breaches or a substantive breach involving attempted attendance at a regulated football match at home or abroad.
	
		
			  Number of football banning orders (a) issued and (b) breached in each football season since 2003-04 
			  Football season  Football banning orders issued  Arrests for breach of football banning order 
			 2003-04 1,263 63 
			 2004-05 970 60 
			 2005-06 995 39 
			 2006-07 644 56 
			 2007-08 1,048 80 
			 2008-09 956 84

Forced Marriage

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of vulnerable people being forced to marry against their will as a result of a financial agreement between family members and a foreign national;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of vulnerable people who have been forced to marry against their will as a result of a financial agreement between their family members and a foreign national seeking UK citizenship.

Alan Campbell: The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) provides confidential information and assistance to potential victims of forced marriage, those who have already been forced to marry and concerned professionals. The FMU also works with partners both in the UK and overseas, to ensure that appropriate action is taken to prevent forced marriage taking place.
	In the last two years over 1,600 incidences of suspected forced marriage were reported in each year to the FMU. Forced marriage is, by its nature, an underground practice and therefore detailed statistics on the scale of the problem and patterns of abuse are not fully known. While the FMU are aware of some of the key motivators for forcing a person to marry and have seen cases where both these issues appear to be a factor among those with learning and physical disabilities we do not collect specific data on the motivators as it is not always possible to clearly identify one particular cause.
	However, data on the number of suspected incidences of forced marriage that involved a person with learning and or physical difficulties have been collected since August 2009. From August 2009 to the end of January 2010 at least 18 cases involving people with learning difficulties and seven cases involving people with physical difficulties were reported to the FMU.
	In July last year the FMU published revised Multi-agency Practice Guidelines which provide step by step guidance for frontline professionals on how to deal with cases of forced marriage including cases that may involve children and adults with support needs.
	The FMU are also funding research to look at the prevalence of forced marriage among those with learning disabilities. One of the objectives of the research will be to examine the motivations for forcing people with learning difficulties into marriage.

Homicide: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homicides  (a) of and  (b) by children there have been in each of the last 30 years; and what assessment he has made of trends in the levels of such homicides.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 22 February 2010
	Available information is from the Homicide Index as at 24 November 2009 and relates to the number of currently recorded homicides in England and Wales:  (a) where the victim was aged under 16; and  (b) where the principal suspect was aged under 16. Data are shown according to the year in which offences were initially recorded as homicide; this is not necessarily the year in which the offence took place or the year in which any court decision was made.
	The number of homicides involving victims aged under 16 in England and Wales fluctuated quite substantially between 1979 and 2008-09, peaking at 101 offences in 1985 and dipping to 48 offences in 2005-06. However, due to the relatively small numbers, considerable year-on-year variation is to be expected. On average, there have been 75 such homicides per year over the 30-year period. The lower numbers recorded in the last few years are in keeping with the lower number of overall homicides.
	Homicides where the principal suspect was aged under 16 are rare, accounting for between one and four per cent of all currently recorded homicides each year between 1979 and 2008-09. As with homicide victims aged under 16, the number has fluctuated during this period, and slight year-on-year variations are to be expected.
	
		
			  Currently recorded homicides( 1) : England and Wales, 1979 to 2008-09( 2) 
			  Number of recorded crime 
			  Year( 2)  Victim aged under 16 years  Principal suspect aged under 16 years 
			 1979 90 9 
			 1980 74 22 
			 1981 81 7 
			 1982 90 13 
			 1983 74 9 
			 1984 82 7 
			 1985 101 12 
			 1986 60 8 
			 1987 77 7 
			 1988 96 4 
			 1989 62 7 
			 1990 67 10 
			 1991 93 7 
			 1992 68 9 
			 1993 70 7 
			 1994 76 10 
			 1995 80 12 
			 1996 80 9 
			 1997 82 12 
			 1997-98 71 9 
			 1998-99 78 7 
			 1999-2000 65 11 
			 2000-01 95 11 
			 2001-02 62 12 
			 2002-03 91 9 
			 2003-04 70 8 
			 2004-05 60 9 
			 2005-06 48 18 
			 2006-07 64 12 
			 2007-08 63 15 
			 2008-09 50 10 
			 (1) As at 24 November 2009; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Data are shown according to the year in which offences were initially recorded as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the offence took place, or the year in which any court decision was made.

Homicide: Reoffenders

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted of homicide had a previous conviction for homicide at the time of their sentencing in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Available information is from the Homicide Index and was included in table 1.11 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 01/10, available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0110.pdf
	Data throughout the homicide chapter reflect the position as at 24 November 2009 and are shown according to the year in which offences were initially recorded as homicide; this is not necessarily the year in which the offence took place or the year in which any court decision was made.
	
		
			  Suspects convicted of homicide with previous homicide conviction( 1) : England and Wales, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Year offence initially recorded as homicide( 2)  Number 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 (3)8 
			 2006-07 (3)2 
			 2007-08 (3)1 
			 2008-09 - 
			 (1 )As at 24 November 2009; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.  (2) Data are shown according to the year in which offences were initially recorded as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the offence took place, or the year in which any court decision was made.  (3) In addition, one suspect who committed suicide had previously been convicted of homicide.

Immigration: Fraud

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign-born nationals have been permitted to retain  (a) their UK citizenship and  (b) indefinite leave to remain subsequent to their documentation being found to be fraudulent in each year since 2005.

Phil Woolas: The information requested as to how many were permitted to retain citizenship since 2005 could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost. Although no one has been deprived of British citizenship, on the basis that that status was acquired on the basis of fraud, since 2005, the UK Border Agency has recently implemented a new deprivation policy and are pursuing deprivation action in a number of cases.
	As regards indefinite leave to remain, a person who obtains (or seeks to obtain) leave to remain by deception is liable to removal under section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. We do not however have records for those that have been identified as using deception but have none the less been allowed to retain their indefinite leave to remain, as these could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Deportation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average period of time taken to deport time-served foreign prisoners held in the UK Border Agency's detention estate was in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: For those foreign national prisoners removed in 2007, 2008 and the first three quarters of 2009, the average length of time taken to remove once they have completed their sentence is approximately 27 weeks. This figure includes those who had been detained for a longer period while legal, country specific or documentation issues were addressed. Accurate figures relating before 2007 are not available and could only be obtained by investigating individual case-files. This would incur a disproportionate cost.
	This information is from internal management information systems and should therefore be treated as provisional and subject to change.

Offensive Weapons

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) new and  (b) amended powers relating to the possession of a concealed weapon have been created by legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The law relating to the criminal use of both offensive weapons and firearms has been strengthened in a number of areas since 1997. The changes to the law do not make a distinction between concealed and non-concealed weapons.

Passports: Older People

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce free passports for people aged 75 years or more.

Meg Hillier: A free passport scheme was introduced as a special concession to second world war veterans who were attending 60th anniversary commemorative events in 2004. This was extended to cover all those who may have made a contribution to the overall war effort, whether or not they had served in the armed forces. It therefore applies to those who were born on or before 2 September 1929 and so would have been aged 16 or over at the end of the war.
	The present free passport scheme is not an age-based concession and there are no plans to introduce free passports for people aged 75 or over. This would be considerably more expensive and could require an increase in passport fees for other applicants.

Police Community Support Officers: Assaults on Police

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults upon police community support officers have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Data for the numbers of assaults on police community support officers for 2005-06 to 2008-09 are provided in the following table.
	For 2004-05 assaults data are not available separately for PCSOs. Data for the numbers of assaults on police officers, PCSOs and other operational support staff combined for 2004-05 can be seen in the HMIC Annual Report, available in the Library of the House and from:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0506/hc08/0842/0842.pdf
	The increase in assaults should be considered in the light of the 144 per cent. increase in the number of police community support officers in post from 6,769 in 2005-06 to 16,507 in 2008-09.
	
		
			  Assaults( 1)  on Police Community Support Officers 2005-06 to 2008-09( 2) 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Force  Fatal injury  Serious injury  Minor or no injury  Fatal injury  Serious injury  Minor or no injury  Fatal injury  Serious injury  Minor or no injury  Fatal injury  Serious injury  Minor or no injury 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Cambridgeshire(4) - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Cheshire(3, 4) 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 12 - - - 
			 Cleveland(4) - - - 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 1 
			 Cumbria(4) - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Derbyshire(5) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 9 0 0 2 
			 Devon and Cornwall(5) 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 14 0 0 14 
			 Dorset 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Durham 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 8 
			 Essex 0 0 3 0 1 16 0 1 12 0 0 13 
			 Gloucestershire 0 1 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 1 5 
			 Greater Manchester 0 1 14 0 1 21 0 1 44 0 4 32 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 11 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 15 0 0 17 
			 Kent 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 
			 Lancashire 0 0 4 0 0 13 0 0 10 0 1 17 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 5 0 0 6 0 0 13 0 0 4 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 5 0 0 1 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Merseyside 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 11 0 0 11 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 2 72 0 10 70 0 23 155 0 7 136 
			 Norfolk 0 0 1 0 0 12 0 1 11 0 0 6 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 4 0 0 3 0 1 10 0 0 24 
			 North Yorkshire(4) - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 8 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 9 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 0 3 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 
			 Suffolk 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 
			 Sussex 0 0 4 0 2 4 0 0 5 0 0 13 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 6 0 0 14 
			 Warwickshire(3) 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 
			 West Mercia 0 0 6 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 5 
			 West Midlands 0 0 8 0 0 22 0 0 32 0 0 25 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 39 0 1 42 0 0 45 0 0 49 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 1 6 0 0 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys(6) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Gwent 0 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 5 0 0 4 
			 North Wales 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 8 
			 South Wales(4) - - - - - - - - - 0 0 8 
			 (1) Provisional data collated on behalf of HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under Sections 18 and 20 of the offences Against the Person Act 1861. Other assaults include those with minor or no injury. Recording practices may vary over time and between forces. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3) Cheshire and Warwickshire were not able to provide data from the HR recording system, data are therefore taken from the crime system and are not comparable with that from other forces. (4) Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and South Wales were not able to provide data for one or more years. (5) Derbyshire in all years and Devon and Cornwall in 2005-06 only were not able to separately identify the degree of assault. All assaults figures for affected years are given in the minor or no injury category. (6) Dyfed-Powys were not able to provide consistent figures for the reporting period, and data for each year are therefore not comparable.

Police: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 997-1004W, on police: finance, what the equivalent data are for 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	Budget requirement is set before the start of the year.
	The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each police authority. Police grant allocations by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Assembly Government also take into account the relative tax base of each police authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  2008-09 data 
			  Police authority  Budget requirement (£ million)  Resident population (million) 
			 Avon and Somerset 259.47 1.58 
			 Bedfordshire 96.06 0.60 
			 Cambridgeshire 120.65 0.77 
			 Cheshire 168.06 1.01 
			 Cleveland 124.62 0.56 
			 Cumbria 97.40 0.50 
			 Derbyshire 157.22 1.00 
			 Devon and Cornwall 268.08 1.68 
			 Dorset 111.79 0.71 
			 Durham 116.12 0.60 
			 Essex 251.08 1.69 
			 Gloucestershire 99.14 0.58 
			 Hampshire 294.19 1.84 
			 Hertfordshire 178.22 1.07 
			 Humberside 169.70 0.92 
			 Kent 266.88 1.66 
			 Lancashire 262.07 1.47 
			 Leicestershire 164.70 0.96 
			 Lincolnshire 100.64 0.71 
			 Norfolk 138.29 0.85 
			 Northamptonshire 114.80 0.68 
			 North Yorkshire 132.21 0.80 
			 Nottinghamshire 184.69 1.06 
			 Staffordshire 176.13 1.07 
			 Suffolk 106.86 0.71 
			 Surrey 191.50 1.09 
			 Sussex 245.08 1.55 
			 Thames Valley 356.10 2.17 
			 Warwickshire 85.41 0.53 
			 West Mercia 190.68 1.19 
			 Wiltshire 99.28 0.65 
			 Greater Manchester 544.93 2.57 
			 Merseyside 317.10 1.35 
			 Northumbria 277.82 1.39 
			 South Yorkshire 246.61 1.29 
			 West Midlands 543.44 2.60 
			 West Yorkshire 410.97 2.17 
			 Metropolitan 2,595.00 7.59 
			 City of London 64.12 0.01 
			 Dyfed-Powys 86.96 0.51 
			 Gwent 114.30 0.57 
			 North Wales 129.42 0.68 
			 South Wales 240.30 1.23 
			 England and Wales total 10,833.99 54.21 
			  Sources: Budget Requirement-BR Forms. DCLG-English police authorities. WAG-Welsh police authorities.  Population-ONS The projected populations for 2008 in the table were used in the 2008-09 police grant settlement.

Police: Schools

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions police officers have been called out to educational establishments in  (a) each police force area and  (b) England and Wales in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: The figures requested are not collected centrally.

Police: South Yorkshire

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers there were in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2009 and  (b) police community support officers there were in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2009 in South Yorkshire.

Alan Campbell: The figures requested are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) in post in South Yorkshire 
			  As at 31 March each year  Officers( 1)  PCSOs 
			 1997 3,159 - 
			 2001 3,197 - 
			 2005 3,265 125 
			 2009 3,017 328 
			 (1) Number of FTE police officers less staff on career breaks and maternity leave.

Prosecutions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in respect of attempts to assist people to enter the UK illegally in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Statistics on persons proceeded against for offences under the Immigration Acts 1971 to 2006 in England and Wales by offence description are provided by the Ministry of Justice and are published annually. Information for 2004 to 2008 has been published in Table 3.4 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom-2008 publication which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Prosecutions: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been sought as a direct result of evidence gained using CCTV cameras in West Lancashire constituency in each of the last six years.

Alan Campbell: The information my hon. Friend requests is not held centrally.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and Cheshire constabulary are conducting a qualitative analysis of recorded crime data and case files in Cheshire. This is in order to determine the value of CCTV to investigations carried out in that particular police force area. This work will be used to assist in further consideration of the criteria that should be applied in other areas of England and Wales by police, local authorities and others in assessing the contribution of CCTV to crime detection, crime reduction and public confidence.

Sexual Offences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered sex offenders were found not to be living at their registered address in the last five years.

Alan Johnson: These data are not collected in the format requested and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff there were at Civil Service grade  (a) 5,  (b) 6 and  (c) 7 on 1 January 2010.

Phil Woolas: The Civil Service Grade 5 has been incorporated into the Senior Civil Service and no longer exists. The numbers of UK Border Agency staff, including temporary cover arrangements, on 1 January 2010 at  (a) SCS are 79,  (b) grade 6 are 187 and  (c) grade 7 are 605. These numbers are full time equivalents rounded to the nearest whole number.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Surveillance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has applied; and whether it has applied for powers of entry.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has applied; and whether it has applied for powers of entry.
	The Commission is seeking authority under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to undertake directed surveillance (the surveillance of individuals in a public place for the purposes of a specific investigation) and access to communications data relating to the subscriber of a communications provider. This could include personal information, such as bank account details, when investigating alleged criminal offences.
	The Commission is not seeking powers of entry.
	I hope that you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of invoices from suppliers her Department paid within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions paid 97 per cent. of all valid invoices within 10 days of receipt in December 2009.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the quantity of food waste generated by her Department in each year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The quantity of food waste generated by the Department in each year for which figures are available is:
	
		
			  Financial year  Food waste (kgs) 
			 2008-09 39,755 
			 2009-10 51,489 
		
	
	The figures cover waste from the preparation of food, waste from service counters and customer plate waste. There has been an increase in counter sales for 2009-10 of 6 per cent. for the same period in 2008-09. This may account for the food waste increase in 2009-10.

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criminal offences have been  (a) created and  (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by her Department since 1 May 2008.

Jim Knight: Since 1 May 2008, the following criminal offences have been created by secondary legislation sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions:
	Regulation 9 of the Child Support Information Regulations 2008 exercises the power in section 14A(3A) of the Child Support Act 1991 (inserted by section 36 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008) imposing a duty on persons liable to make payments of child support maintenance to notify a change of address. Any failure to comply with that duty is an offence under section 14A(3A) of the 1991 Act.
	Regulation 25AC of the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 designates certain regulations. Those regulations, inserted by the Child Support Collection and Enforcement (Deduction Orders) Amendment Regulations 2009, contain duties upon certain persons and a failure to comply with those duties is an offence. The duties are:
	(i) notifications required to be given to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (the Commission) by deposit-takers on which a regular deduction order has been served (regulation 25 E (1) to (5));
	(ii) compliance with a regular deduction order which has been varied and served on a deposit-taker (regulation 25 I (4));
	(iii) a requirement on deposit-takers on which a lump sum deduction order has been served to provide information (regulation 25 O (1) to (5));
	(iv) a duty to comply with a lump sum deduction order as varied (regulation 25 R (3));
	(v) a requirement on a deposit-taker on which a deduction order is directed to pay amounts deducted under the order to the Commission (regulation 25 AA (1)).
	Since 1 May 2008, no criminal offences have been abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Disability Living Allowance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each of the smallest geographical units for which figures are available claimed the higher rate care component of disability living allowance on the ground of terminal illness in 2008-09.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance-cases recorded with a higher rate care component paid on the grounds of terminal illness by Government Office Region in the 4 quarters to May 2009 
			  Government Office Region  August 2008  November 2008  February 2009  May 2009 
			 North East 2,700 2,600 2,400 2,400 
			 North West 6,700 6,600 6,100 6,400 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,700 3,500 3,700 4,000 
			 East Midlands 3,000 2,900 2,900 3,300 
			 West Midlands 3,900 3,400 3,500 3,400 
			 East of England 3,400 3,200 3,200 3,100 
			 London 4,400 3,900 3,500 3,600 
			 South East 4,100 4,100 4,100 4,200 
			 South West 3,100 2,500 2,500 2,800 
			 Wales 2,500 2,200 2,400 2,300 
			 Scotland 3,900 3,300 3,500 3,600 
			  Notes: 1. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition for disability living allowance is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the 100 per cent. total for the benefit. 2. Figures have been rated to agree with Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals and are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent sample.

Electronic Government: Advertising

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget is for the Direct.gov television advertising campaign launched on 4 January 2010; and which celebrities were employed to feature in the campaign.

Jim Knight: Directgov has the potential to enable Government to make substantial savings in shifting from traditional to digital channels. For those savings to be realised, it is vital that the public are aware of and trust Directgov as the Government's official website. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness so that Directgov is the first site people think of for Government information, and one which they both trust and recommend to others. Early results have shown the campaign has been a success with a record number of 614,000 visits on the first day of the campaign which was then followed by another 663,000 the next Monday. During the period of the campaign to date, year on year visits to the Directgov homepage have risen by 104 per cent.
	The cost of production and airtime purchased to date combined is £2.05 million.
	The artists featured in the Directgov advertisement are Nick Moran, Honor Blackman, Janet Street Porter, Christopher Biggins, Kelly Brook and Graham McPherson (popularly known as 'Suggs'). Helen Mirren provided the voiceover.
	Negotiations on the involvement of these artists in the project were conducted by the COI and all of the above agreed to participate in the advert for a fraction of their normal commercial time.

Electronic Government: Publicity

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department paid to each  (a) actor,  (b) musician and  (c) other performer used to support the directgov advertisement, Go DirectGov.

Jim Knight: We are unable to provide information for individual actors, musicians or other performers. This information is market-sensitive and revealing it would weaken the potential for future earnings of those who appeared in the adverts.
	Negotiations on the involvement of these artists in the project were conducted by the COI and all of the above agreed to participate in the advert for a fraction of their normal commercial rate.
	Directgov has the potential to enable government to make substantial savings in shifting from traditional to digital channels. For those savings to be realised, it is vital that the public are aware of and trust Directgov as the government's official website. The aim of the advertisements is to increase awareness so that Directgov is the first site people think of for Government information, and one which they both trust and recommend to others.

Employers' Liability

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions her Department has had with the Association of British Insurers on the employers' liability insurance tracing scheme.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government want to see more done to ensure that individuals who are unable to trace insurers are given support. To this end the Government have had some very helpful discussions with a range of stakeholders, including the Association of British Insurers, on the possibility of setting up a database of employers' liability insurance.
	We have today published a consultation document 'Accessing Compensation-Supporting people who need to trace Employers' Liability Insurance'. The consultation covers the best way of setting up and administering an Employers' Liability Tracing Office, including a compulsory electronic database for keeping records of future employers' liability policies that can be searched by claimants and their representatives. We are also consulting on establishing an Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau, a fund of last resort for those unable to trace an insurance policy.
	We will seek to work with the Association of British Insurers and others to drive forward the establishment of the tracing office. We envisage such a system would eventually provide a complete record of all employers' liability policies issued and should be easily accessible to those who need to trace such policies.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she has set any targets for the assessment of individuals for the employment support allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are no targets for the number of individuals assessed as eligible for employment and support allowance.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what administrative processes are in place to inform claimants of employment and support allowance of the outcome of their benefit claims; and what processes are in place to ensure that claimants are informed of an unsuccessful claim before existing benefit payments are  (a) stopped and  (b) reduced.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 3 February 2010
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what administrative processes are in place to inform claimants of Employment and Support Allowance of the outcome of their benefit claims; and what processes are in place to ensure that claimants are informed of an unsuccessful claim before existing benefit payments are (a) stopped and (b) reduced. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	If a customer claims Employment and Support Allowance and is entitled to this benefit, an award notice is issued to the customer by post. If a customer is not entitled to Employment and Support Allowance a decision notice is issued to the customer. The notice includes reasons for the disallowance and details of their right to a reconsideration of the decision and, where appropriate, to an appeal. Where a customer is receiving Employment and Support Allowance and their entitlement ends or reduces, for example on a change of circumstances, the customer is notified of the decision and any appeal rights which may apply. Customers are normally notified in advance of any reduction in benefit entitlement but this is not always possible, particularly if the change takes effect from a past date.
	In most cases the process is automated with the vast majority of notifications generated by IT systems and delivered by post. However, where we know the customer has a mental health condition, arrangements are in place to visit them before any decision on their case is made.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Employment Schemes: Graduates

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forecast she has made of the take-up by graduates of the Graduate Guarantee in the next 12 months; and how many  (a) internships and  (b) training places she expects to be made available under the scheme in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: In November 2009 the Prime Minister announced that the Government will guarantee access to an internship, training or help to become self employed to all new graduates reaching six months of unemployment.
	The Graduate Guarantee is based on:
	The 20,000 graduate internships available through the Graduate Talent Pool (open to all graduates, from now);
	The training options available through the Six Month Offer and Young Person's Guarantee;
	Help to become self employed through Higher Education Funding Council for England's Economic Challenge Investment Fund and Flying Start; and
	The business start-up support offered through the self employment option of the Six Month Offer.
	We have not made forecasts of the take-up of each of these offers by graduates but we have guaranteed a place for every graduate who wants one.

Jobcentre Plus: Ethnic Groups

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when her Department commissioned the Institute for Fiscal Studies to undertake its review of ethnic parity in Jobcentre Plus; when she expects that review to be published; and how much funding her Department has allocated to that review.

Jim Knight: holding answer 10 February 2010
	The Institute for Fiscal Studies have completed the review and the report was published as Estimating ethnic parity in Jobcentre Plus programmes: A quantitative analysis using the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). It was published as part of the Department's research series in 2008.
	The contract with the Institute for Fiscal Studies was for £99,702.
	A copy of this has been placed in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what user acceptance testing has been performed on the job search portals located in Jobcentre Plus offices; what existing bugs have been identified in the Jobsearch IT system in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: When DWP IT Systems such as job search portals are developed and implemented they are subject to a rigorous testing regime including user acceptance testing. In the last 12 months there have been eight reported defects all of which have been rectified.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff have been employed  (a) up to one year,  (b) between one and two years,  (c) between two and three years,  (d) between three and five years and  (e) for five years or more.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 February 20010
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive, Darra Singh, have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many and what proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff have been employed  (a) up to one year;  (b) between one and two years,  (c) between two and three years;  (d) between three and five years; and  (e) for five years or more. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The following table provides the details you requested. The information relates to September 2009.
	
		
			  Duration  Headcount  Percentage 
			 Up to 1 year 16,739 19 
			 Between 1 and 2 years 4,289 5 
			 Between 2 and 3 years 2,356 3 
			 Between 3 and 5 years 3,714 4 
			 5 years and more 63,219 69 
		
	
	The high proportion of staffing in the 'up to 1 year' category reflects recruitment levels into Jobcentre Plus over recent months to deal with rising workloads as a result of the economic downturn. The majority of these people were recruited on either Fixed Term or Temporary contracts.

National Identity Fraud Unit: Manpower

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were assigned to the National Identity Fraud Unit in each location in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the tables.
	In January 2009, the National Identity Fraud Unit was reorganised from one centralised unit in Newcastle into three separate units located in London, the Isle of Wight and Glasgow. Staffing data provided from April 2006 to March 2009 have been obtained from locally held work force management information. From April 2009 the National Identity Fraud Unit's staffing activities were recorded on our Activity Based Modelling System and the data provided from April 2009 to December 2009 have been sourced from this system.
	There are no available data prior to April 2006.
	
		
			  Staffing-National Identity Fraud Unit-Newcastle (April-October) 
			   2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			 April 18.00 19.42 18.19 
			 May 18.00 19.42 18.19 
			 June 16.10 19.42 14.19 
			 July 16.10 20.42 14.19 
			 August 15.60 20.42 14.19 
			 September 13.60 19.42 14.19 
			 October 13.60 18.42 14.19 
		
	
	
		
			  Staffing-National Identity Fraud Unit-Newcastle  (November-March ) 
			   2008-09  2007-08  2006-07 
			 November 13.60 18.42 14.19 
			 December 12.30 17.42 16.68 
			 January 1.00 18.42 16.68 
			 February - 18.00 18.42 
			 March - 18.00 19.56 
			 
			 Yearly average 13.79 18.93 16.07 
			  Note: Figures are not whole numbers as they reflect part-time staff working patterns.  Source: Locally held Workforce Management Information 
		
	
	
		
			  Staffing-National Identity Fraud Unit-2008-09 
			   London  Isle of Wight  Glasgow 
			 April - - - 
			 May - - - 
			 June - - - 
			 July - - - 
			 August - - - 
			 September - - - 
			 October - - - 
			 November - - - 
			 December - - - 
			 January 7.00 5.10 5.86 
			 February 7.00 5.10 5.86 
			 March 7.00 5.10 5.86 
			 
			 Yearly average 7.00 5.10 5.86 
			  Note: Figures are not whole numbers as they reflect part-time staff working patterns.  Source: Locally held Workforce Management Information 
		
	
	
		
			  Staffing-National Identity Fraud Unit-2009-10 
			   London  Isle of Wight  Glasgow 
			 April 7.00 5.1 5.86 
			 May 7.00 5.1 5.86 
			 June 7.00 5.1 5.86 
			 July 7.00 5.1 5.86 
			 August 6.00 5.1 5.86 
			 September 6.00 5.1 5.86 
			 October 6.00 6.9 5.86 
			 November 6.00 6.9 7.86 
			 December 6.00 6.9 8.86 
			 January - - - 
			 February - - - 
			 March - - - 
			 
			 Yearly average 6.44 5.70 6.42 
			  Note: Figures are not whole numbers as they reflect part-time staff working patterns.  Source: Locally held Workforce Management Information

New Deal Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have been referred to the flexible New Deal scheme since 6 October 2009;
	(2)  how many people unemployed for 12 months or more since April 2009 have not been referred to a flexible New Deal provider in phase one areas.

Jim Knight: The Flexible New Deal started on 5 October and data is only starting to feed through. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish headline Official Statistics from early 2010.

Pathways to Work

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will integrate Access to Work assessments more closely with Pathways to Work providers.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 4 February 20010
	Access to Work is a form of 'in work' support. As such there are no plans to integrate it more closely with Pathways providers. In those situations where the right type of support cannot be easily established Access to Work will use the services of contracted external assessors.
	Access to Work is available to disabled people moving into paid work, including people who have been taking part in Pathways to Work and other employment programmes, as well as people already in work. Access to Work can provide practical advice and support to the disabled person and their employer to help them overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability, for example by funding specialist equipment, a support worker or communication support at a job interview.
	The White Paper Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment set out a range of improvements to Access to Work. As published, we are currently discussing these proposed improvements with stakeholders, for a staged implementation starting in April 2010.
	The proposed improvements include better targeting at customers further from the labour market, including people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. The proposals also include targeting people working for smaller employers, who are currently under-represented on the programme, and to offer a 'certificate of eligibility' so that a person can indicate their eligibility for Access to Work assistance to a prospective employer.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) public and  (b) private sector employees were contracted out into defined benefit pension schemes that offered benefits better than the minimum requirements for guaranteed minimum pensions in 1996-97.

Angela Eagle: The legislation in place between 1978 and 1997 required a contracted out defined benefit scheme to provide a guaranteed minimum pension (GMP). It was a matter for the trustees and/or sponsoring employer of each scheme to decide what if any benefits to provide in addition to the GMP, and information is not available centrally on the number of public or private sector employees in schemes which offered such benefits.

Personal Savings

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines her Department issues on the classification of assets as savings.

Jim Knight: Chapter 29 of the Decision Maker's Guide (DMG) gives guidance on what particular assets count as capital when assessing entitlement to income support and jobseeker's allowance. A copy of chapter 29 of the DMG has been placed in the Library. The DMG is available online at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/decision-makers-guide/
	Similar guidance is available for the other income related benefits. Chapter 52 of the DMG gives guidance on employment and support allowance and chapter 84 gives guidance on state pension credit.

Remploy: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 524W, on Remploy: public relations, if she will place in the Library a copy of the documents produced by Portland PR for Remploy on factory closures communications.

Jonathan R Shaw: Remploy commissioned Portland PR to provide a range of services to help the company improve strategic communications.
	Portland PR provided support for senior management on the overall communications strategy, and this advice informed a wide range of internal and external communication documents, materials and other communication channels across the whole company, including the factories.
	It is therefore not possible to identify documents on factory closure communications produced separately by Portland PR.

Social Security Benefits: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley were in receipt of (i) housing benefit, (ii) council tax benefit, (iii) disability living allowance, (iv) incapacity benefit, (v) income support and (vi) employment and support allowance at the latest date for which information is available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The most recent available information is given in the tables.
	Housing benefit and council tax benefit figures are not available by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Housing benefit/council tax benefit recipients in London borough of Bexley: October 2009 
			   Number 
			 Housing benefit 12,990 
			 Council tax benefit 16,690 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as at 8 October 2009. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Claimants receiving both housing benefit and council tax benefit will be counted twice in this table 4. On 1 April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities in England took effect. Changes are reflected from May 2009.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract 
		
	
	
		
			  Benefit recipients in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and London borough of Bexley: May 2009 
			  Benefit  Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency  London Borough of Bexley 
			 Disability living allowance-cases in payment 3,550 8,980 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants 2,300 6,100 
			 Income support claimants 2,260 6,390 
			 Employment and support allowance claimants 310 800 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure has been applied. 2. Claimants receiving more than one of these benefits will be counted under each benefit 3. Disability living allowance figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example, if they are in hospital. 4. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. The figures relating to employment and support allowance have been thoroughly quality assured to National Statistics standard. However, it should be noted that this is a new benefit using a new data source which may not have reached steady state in terms of operational processing and retrospection. Hence the most recent data shown are provisional.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Unemployment Benefits: Cancer

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) people undergoing or recovering from radiotherapy and  (b) in-patients (i) in total and (ii) normally resident in Scotland have been refused employment support allowance since 27 October 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is not available.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount of biomass needed to fuel proposed new wood-burning power stations; and what proportion of it he expects will be from UK sources.

David Kidney: Power stations of over 50 MW in England and Wales are subject to consent by the Secretary of State under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.
	Biomass capacity of up to 849 MWe has been approved under the Section 36 consenting regime since 2007, which is expected to use up to 6.77 million tonnes of biomass per year when all plants are operational. There is also 1,289 MWe biomass capacity currently under consideration by the Secretary of State, which if consented would use up to a further 10.56 million tonnes of biomass per annum. Therefore, the combined total of consented and in planning biomass applications for England and Wales, of plants over 50MW, is 2,138 MWe potentially using up to 17.33 million tonnes of biomass per annum. This capacity includes both dedicated biomass power plants and combined biomass and energy-from-waste power plants.
	Power stations of 50MW and under, in England and Wales, are considered by the local planning authority in the normal planning regime.
	According to the UK RESTATS database, which has collected renewable energy data since 1989, dedicated biomass power capacity of up to 349.6 MWe has been consented by local planning authorities in England and Wales. This consented capacity, assuming a typical 25MW plant will use up to 0.2 million tonnes per annum, would use up to 2.80 million tonnes of biomass per year when all plants are operational. There is also a further 90.1 MWe dedicated biomass capacity under consideration, which is expected to use up to 0.72 million tonnes of biomass per annum. Therefore, the combined total of consented and in planning dedicated biomass applications for England and Wales, of plants 50MW and under, is 439.7 MWe using up to 3.52 million tonnes of biomass per annum.
	It is not possible to separately identify the wood-burning capacity as most plants will have the flexibility to use a range of biomass fuels according to cost, availability and other considerations.
	Robust biomass supply chains are only now becoming established across the UK and biomass fuels are increasingly traded as a global commodity. Therefore, we expect, in the short term at least, that these plants will use a significant volume of imported biomass, together with wood fuel sourced from managed UK forests and woodlands and from other sources such as the by-products of our timber industry, home grown perennial energy crops such as miscanthus grass and short rotation coppice (SRC) willow, and a range of biomass fuels derived from waste as defined under the renewables obligation.

Departmental Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the estimated  (a) amount and  (b) cost was of energy used in his Department in each year since it was established; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: For the last full year that information is currently available, January to December 2009, the Department has used approximately 2,209,980 Kwh of electricity and 1,184,478 Kwh of gas. The cost of this was £176,216 for the electricity and £43,043 for the gas.
	The electricity was procured through the green tariff from the OGC catalyst framework contract.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on  (a) new furnishings and  (b) new vehicles in each year since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: Since its inception on October 3 2008 The Department for Energy and Climate Change has spent  (a) £699,503 on new furnishing and  (b) nothing on new vehicles.

Departmental Surveys

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Joan Ruddock: The Department will be publishing its October 2009 staff survey results on the DECC website on 1 March 2010. Following publication we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	The supplier for the Department's staff survey in October 2009 was ORC International who were procured by the Cabinet Office to deliver the first cross-Civil Service People Survey. The People Survey replaced all existing staff surveys in the Civil Service with a single questionnaire.
	The cost of the 2009-10 People Survey for the Department was £18,300. By procuring a single supplier for staff surveys in 2009-10 the civil service has saved 35 per cent. on the total cost of staff surveys in 2008-09.

Departmental Travel

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was spent on travel between England and Scotland by staff of his Department in each year since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created in October 2008. The amount spent on travel between England and Scotland in the Financial Year 2008-09 was £157,274.

Energy Supply

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Government plans to publish a response to the report Energy Security: a national challenge in a changing world.

David Kidney: Mr. Wicks raised a number of important issues which we have studied carefully. We will publish a response shortly.

Energy: Finance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much Government funding from all sources has been provided to  (a) the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI),  (b) TERI Europe,  (c) the Asian Energy Institute and  (d) the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The information is as follows.
	 (1) Funding for The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has not funded TERI directly over this period. In 2009 DECC funded Phase 2 of a UK-India collaborative study on the barriers to technology transfer. This work was led by the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at Sussex university (SPRU), which received £167,000 in funding. SPRU partnered with TERI on this study.
	The following has been provided to TERI by other Government Departments:  Foreign and Commonwealth Office Funding
	£441,000 from FCO for seven projects through the strategic programme fund and global opportunities fund, 2004 to 2010, as follows:
	
		
			   Project  £ 
			 i Incorporating micro complexities in programmes and policies for energy security in rural India 50,000 
			 ii Developing an Energy Security Policy for India 120,000 
			 iii Commercialisation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in India 60,000 
			 iv Information Sharing System to enhance coping capacities of farming communities in dealing with climate variability and climate change 55,000 
			 v Exploring opportunities for technology transfer to developing countries for mitigation of climate change 70,000 
			 vi Design of renewable energy credit system for India 76,000 
			 vii Scoping Study-Climate Change Induced Migration and its Security Implications in India's Neighbourhood. 10,000 
			  Total 441,000 
		
	
	 DEFRA funding
	In 2007 Defra funded Phase 1 of a UK-India collaborative study on the barriers to technology transfer. This work was led by the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at Sussex university, which received £73,000 in funding. SPRU partnered with TERI on this study.
	Defra funded the International Conference on Community Rights, Forests and Climate Change, 17-18 August, 2009, New Delhi (jointly organised by TERI and the Rights and Resources Initiative)-£46,000. In 2006 Defra also funded the Delhi Sustainable Development summit (£12,000) and work on sustainable development governance (£6,000). In 2007 Defra funded the Delhi Sustainable Development summit (£70,000).
	 DFID Funding
	DFID India have provided £132,000 to TERI over this period, including £40,000 for Delhi Sustainable Development summit 2009 and £31,000 for Delhi Sustainable Development summit 2008. In addition TERI has received £137,000 from DFID UK as part of wider research consortia.
	DFID have also announced plans to provide TERI with up to £10 million over the next five years. This funding will help to bring electricity and clean energy to millions of the world's poorest people by supporting renewable energy projects in India. As is routine, DFID is undertaking a full institutional assessment of TERI as part of their due diligence process before releasing funds.
	 Research Council Funding
	TERI's Decentralised Energy Solutions Division is one of the participating institutes in a £4 million research initiative 'Off-grid energy for international development' run by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
	 (2) Funding for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership:
	
		
			   Funding ( £  million )  
			 2009-10 2.5 DECC 
			 2008-09 2.5 Defra 
			 2007-08 2.5 Defra 
			 2006-07 2.5 Defra 
			  1 FCO 
			 2005-06 2.5 Defra 
			  l FCO 
		
	
	(3) We are not aware of any Government funding for TERI Europe or the Asian Energy Institute

Energy: Prices

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many tariffs each energy provider has for its domestic customers in each region; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of tariff ranges.

David Kidney: Table 1 as follows indicates the number of tariffs available to a new domestic gas, electricity and dual fuel customer based on a snapshot of 23 January 2010, with figures provided by Ofgem(1). The table excludes: social tariffs; any tariffs that were closed to a new customer as at 23 January 2010; and tariffs for companies other than the main six energy suppliers. The majority of tariffs are available in each region, however there are regional price variations due in part to regional variations in network costs for both gas and electricity.
	(1) The tariff data was provided by Energy Services Online Ltd [TheEnergyShop.com].
	
		
			  Table 1: Average number of tariffs available to a new customer in a region, across main six energy suppliers 
			   Electricity  Gas  Dual fuel 
			 Direct debit 126 21 133 
			 Standard credit 82 14 86 
			 Prepayment meter 17 6 20 
		
	
	Around half of UK gas and electricity customers pay for their energy via direct debit. Table 2 indicates the number of direct debit tariffs available to new customers in each region by each of the main six domestic energy suppliers. Generally a customer choosing to pay for their energy via any other method will have fewer tariffs open to them.
	Any customer looking for a tariff at any one time may be constrained by what region they are in, their meter type, their access to the gas grid, and to some extent by payment method. This will limit the number of choices open to them by varying degrees. The information provided also contains tariffs for Economy 7 and Economy 10) customers, many of whom will be limited to only these types of tariffs to switch to or sign up to.
	Government recognises that there are many tariffs for consumers to choose from. We recognise that some customers may value this range of choice in the market; however, we note that this may make it difficult for others to find the best deal. In some cases, two tariffs will have the same price and payment method-but there could be small differences such as club card points, vouchers or donations to different charities turning a single price and payment plan into multiple options. We are talking to Consumer Focus who are working with switching sites to try and resolve this problem.
	From this year suppliers will be obligated to provide each customer with additional information to help them understand and compare their energy tariff to other offers in the market.
	Suppliers are also obligated under their supply licence to improve the conduct of their face to face sales and marketing activities by providing consumers with information that is clear and not misleading.
	Additionally, Ofgem's new over-arching Standards of Conduct state that energy suppliers must not sell a customer a product or service that he or she does not fully understand, or that is inappropriate for their needs and circumstances, or offer products that are unnecessarily complex or confusing.
	Ofgem will be monitoring the effectiveness of these remedies. As part of this process they will review whether these changes have proved sufficient to help consumers understand and benefit from the range of tariffs available to them, and consider what further steps may be needed. My officials are discussing the issue of number of tariffs and its impact with consumer groups.

Warm Front Scheme

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the average waiting time for the installation of  (a) heating and  (b) insulation measures under the Warm Front scheme in (i) Mid Bedfordshire constituency, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England, Wales and Northern Ireland in each year since the scheme's inception.

David Kidney: The following tables show the average waiting time (in working days) for the installation of  (a) heating and  (b) insulation measures under the Warm Front scheme in (i) Mid Bedfordshire constituency, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) the East of England in the current scheme year, and (iv) England in each year since the scheme's inception.
	Average timescales quoted for years 2005-09 run from the completion of the technical survey to the completion of works. Timescales for the current scheme year run from the allocation of work to a registered installer to the completion of work following a change in recording processes under the revised contract for the scheme's delivery.
	
		
			  Heating timelines  Mid Bedfordshire  Bedfordshire  East of England  England 
			 2005-06 n/a n/a n/a 68 
			 2006-07 n/a n/a n/a 74 
			 2007-08 n/a n/a n/a 64 
			 2008-09 n/a n/a n/a 57 
			 2009-10(1) 43 50 45 45 
			 n/a = not available. (1 )Data run to 31 January 2010. 
		
	
	
		
			  Insulation timelines  Mid Bedfordshire  Bedfordshire  East of England  England 
			 2005-06 n/a n/a n/a 31 
			 2006-07 n/a n/a n/a 29 
			 2007-08 n/a n/a n/a 33 
			 2008-09 n/a n/a n/a 23 
			 2009-10(1) 11 14 17 17 
			 n/a = not available. (1 )Data run to 31 January 2010. 
		
	
	Neither the Department nor eaga, the scheme manager, have previously grouped data by constituency or county, as such, the regional data for 2005 to 2009 are not available. However, I refer the hon. Member to answer given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) on 1 December 2009,  Official R eport column 717W, which presents the average timelines for heating and insulation work by each local authority area between May 2008 and November 2009.
	Fuel poverty is a devolved issue and the Warm Front scheme operates in England alone, as such, it is not possible to provide data for Wales and Northern Ireland.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes were constructed in 2008-09.

Ian Austin: Information on additional new build affordable homes can be found in Table 1009 on the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1406088.xls
	Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, some can be provided through acquisitions.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 866-8W, on affordable housing, what expenditure his Department has incurred on  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) New Build HomeBuy,  (c) Open Market HomeBuy,  (d) First Time Buyer's Initiative,  (e) Social HomeBuy and  (f) Rent to HomeBuy in 2009-10.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 867-68W.

Affordable Housing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been bought under the Rent to Homebuy scheme in each  (a) local authority and  (b) region since the inception of that scheme; and what the monetary value of such sales was in each area on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 22 February 2010 to PQ 316761.

Affordable Housing: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on increasing the standard of social housing in Salford since 1997.

Ian Austin: The following table shows Salford city council and their arms length management organisation, Salix Homes, capital investment in council housing in the city.
	
		
			   Expenditure £000 
			 1998 13,929 
			 1999 16,115 
			 2000 14,335 
			 2001 21,410 
			 2002 20,949 
			 2003 24,839 
			 2004 18,135 
			 2005 21,697 
			 2006 19,964 
			 2007 18,656 
			 2008 21,102 
			 2009 13,910 
			  Source: Annual returns to Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	The TSA cannot provide the data requested for housing associations in the City.

Affordable Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  by what mechanisms the Homes and Communities Agency measures its progress in meeting its statutory duty to improve the quality of housing;
	(2)  what recent steps the Homes and Communities Agency has taken in respect of its statutory duty to  (a) improve the quality of housing and  (b) contribute to the achievement of good design.

John Healey: Two of the HCA's four statutory objects are to (i) improve the supply and quality of housing in England and (ii) contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and good design in England. The HCA inherited standards for certain of its programmes, setting minimum criteria which must be achieved before funding is provided. Regular checks and audits are undertaken to ensure these requirements are delivered. The HCA have established advisory Boards to assist with these issues, and plan to issue a design and quality strategy later this year. Details of these panels, including membership, can be found on the HCA's website:
	www.homesandcommunities.co.uk

Affordable Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria the Homes and Communities Agency used to assess the design quality and viability of housing schemes for the purposes of awarding funding under Round 1 of the Kickstart programme; and what account was taken of the assessments made by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in its capacity as adviser on that programme.

John Healey: The criteria used by the HCA to assess the design quality and viability of housing schemes under Round 1 of the Kickstart programme can be found in the Round 1 'Kickstart Housing Delivery: Unlocking Stalled Sites' guidance located on HCA's website. Design quality was part of the overall value for money assessment of Kickstart bids, alongside deliverability and the capacity to create jobs. CABE assessments were used to highlight schemes where more attention was needed and were the basis for further assessment by HCA regional teams. The HCA regional teams were able to augment the CABE assessment with additional relevant local information to inform final decisions on award of funding.

Audit Commission: Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1261W, on the Audit Commission: procurement, how much the Audit Commission spent in respect of each organisation that supplied goods or services to it in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct. The table referred to has been placed in the Library of the House.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 23 February 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The payments made to organisations that supplied goods or services to the Audit Commission in 2008-09 are outlined in the attached table.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Business Improvement Districts

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many business improvement districts in England more than one retail area is working in partnership; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold this information.

Business Improvement Districts

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued to  (a) local authorities and  (b) businesses on establishing a business improvement district which includes more than one retail centre; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has not issued guidance on establishing a business improvement district from being in more than one retail centre.

Community Development: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated to the  (a) Supporting People programme,  (b) New Communities fund,  (c) New Deal for Communities fund,  (d) Safer and Stronger Communities fund,  (e) Local Enterprise Growth Initiative and  (f) Working Neighbourhoods fund in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) Supporting People
	The funding allocations to the Supporting People programme for:
	2009-10: £1,665 million
	2010-11: £l,636 million
	No allocations have been yet agreed for future years and beyond 2011.
	 (b) New Communities Fund
	Ministers decided in 2009 to reallocate resources from the New Communities Fund to other ministerial priorities. This was to reflect ministerial reprioritisation of funding across the Department to ensure available funding supports the highest priorities in the current fiscal circumstances.
	 (c) New Deal for Communities fund
	In April 2009 the Department announced NDC partnership allocations of £186.2 million in 2009-10 and an indicative allocation of £70.4million in 2010-11, the final year of the programme.
	 (d) Safer and Stronger Communities
	For the Safer and Stronger Communities fund, £30.909 million was allocated in 2009-10 and there is an indicative allocation of £4.893 million in 2010-11. No allocations have been agreed for years beyond 2010-11.
	 (e) Local Enterprise Growth Initiative
	£98.885 million has been allocated for the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative for 2009-10 (£23.912 million Capital and £74.972 million Revenue) and there is an indicative allocation of £93.950 million for 2010-11 (£18.648 million Capital and £75.301 million Revenue).
	No decisions have yet been made on arrangements for LEGI beyond the current three year spending period.
	 (f) Working Neighbourhoods Fund
	£547.8 million has been allocated for the Working Neighbourhoods Fund for 2009-10, this includes the £40m top-up announced in November 2009, and there is an indicative allocation of £507.9 million for 2010-11.
	No decisions have yet been made on arrangements for WNF beyond the current three year spending period.

Consolidated Communications

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 377W, on the Audit Commission: public opinion, what the purpose was of the public affairs consultancy work undertaken by Consolidated Communications for his Department; and what  (a) documents and  (b) other deliverables the Audit Commission received from Consolidated Communications under that contract.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 23 February 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission contracted Consolidated Communications, a communications company, during a period of substantial reorganisation of its communications directorate. Consolidated offered advice and support, replacing functions in the external communications team that, temporarily, were not available in house.
	The work and deliverables carried out under the contract were:
	the monitoring of Parliament;
	the monitoring of policy announcements; and
	briefings on legislative issues.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Council Housing: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from Your Homes Newcastle on the funding for asbestos removal under the decent homes programme; and if he will place in the Library a copy of those representations.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government Department has received no recent representations from Your Homes Newcastle on the funding for asbestos removal under the Decent Homes programme. However, their parent local authority, Newcastle City Council, as part of their ALMO bidding application in 2003 made a contingency allowance in their Building Cost Model for asbestos removal.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 214W, on council tax, whether local authorities may levy a surcharge on council tax bills paid by credit card.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 214W.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much gross council tax revenue in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms at 2010 prices was raised in each region in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The amount of gross council tax revenue in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms at 2008-09 prices raised in each region in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2008-09, the most recent year for which figures are available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ m illion 
			   1997-98 cash  1997-98 at 2008-09 prices  2008-09 cash 
			 North East 449 614 902 
			 North West 1,310 1,794 2,570 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 866 1,186 1,835 
			 East Midlands 773 1,058 1,738 
			 West Midlands 940 1,288 1,996 
			 East of England 1,051 1,439 2,613 
			 London 1,386 1,898 3,171 
			 South East 1,716 2,350 4,098 
			 South West 995 1,363 2,395 
			 Total England 9,488 12,990 21,319 
		
	
	The data are taken from the Quarterly Return of Council Tax and non-domestic rates returns completed annually by all billing authorities in England and the real terms data are given at 2008-09 prices using the Retail Price Index.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of gross revenue to local authorities from council tax was funded by council tax benefit in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: In 2008-09 the gross revenue to local authorities from council tax was £24.9 billion with £3.5 billion of this figure being from council tax benefit paid to the collection fund. Therefore 14 per cent. of the gross revenue to local authorities from council tax was funded by council tax benefit.

Council Tax: Discounts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 378W, on council tax, what types of council tax discount are made available by each individual local authority; and what the monetary value was of such discounts in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: Details of the types of local council tax discounts awarded as at October 5 2009, and the authority awarding the discount, are shown as follows.
	Pensioners: Bury, Hillingdon, Kirklees, Lincoln, Southampton, Wirral
	Properties affected by flooding and other external environmental factors: Doncaster, East Lindsey, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Herefordshire UA, Hillingdon, Malvern Hills, North Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Rotherham, Wakefield, Wychavon
	Those to whom, because they have been affected by the change in regulations since a discount was originally awarded, a discount has been awarded so as to not disadvantage them: Adur, Exeter, Horsham, North Norfolk, Waveney
	The following types of local council tax discounts were also awarded as at 5 October 2009.
	A hard to sell property
	A new unfinished property
	Difficult to let properties
	Hardship
	Occupied and unoccupied furnished properties that do not have the benefit of mains services including beach chalets.
	Properties that are no one person's sole or main residence where access is restricted taxpayers who can comply with the council's Mooring Policy.
	Various classes of empty properties.
	These discounts were awarded by the following authorities. It is not possible to identify which authority awarded which discount as this may allow identification of individual properties or persons.
	Bradford
	Brighton and Hove
	Cambridge
	Canterbury
	Copeland
	Daventry
	East Riding of Yorkshire UA
	South Ham
	South Lakeland
	West Somerset
	Details of the monetary value of these discounts are not collected centrally.

Council Tax: Discounts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have used their powers to reduce the council tax discount on  (a) empty and  (b) second homes; what revised discount rate was set in each case; and what estimate has been made of the total additional council revenue raised as a result of such revisions in each year since 1993.

Barbara Follett: Since 1 April 2004, local billing authorities have been given the discretion to reduce the council tax discount offered on long-term empty homes and second homes.
	I have placed in the Library of the House tables which show which authorities have, since 2004-05, used their power to reduce discounts for council tax on empty and second homes in their area as well as the revised rate applied.
	The estimated total additional council revenue raised as a result of the reduction to discounts for long-term empty and second homes for each year since 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Long-term empty homes  Second homes 
			 2006-07 79 98 
			 2007-08 88 101 
			 2008-09 104 113 
			 2009-10 108 124 
		
	
	Estimates have not been provided for the years prior to 2006-07 due to the disproportionate cost in producing them.

Council Tax: Statistics

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 368W, on council tax: statistics, what decision was taken on the designation of council tax statistics.

Barbara Follett: Officials are currently working with the United Kingdom Statistics Authority (UKSA) on the assessment of council tax levels set by local authorities in England. When the assessment has been completed, details will be available on the UKSA website at the following link:
	http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/assessment-reports/index.html

Departmental Advertising

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on advertising by  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) Executive agency for which his Department is responsible in 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Department's expenditure on communications, including advertising, is set out in its annual reports, which include details of the initiatives communicated. Departmental annual reports are available on the Department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk
	Additional detail on the most recent year (2008-09) is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1298507.pdf
	Information on advertising by the Department's non-departmental public bodies and Executive agencies is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Computers

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much on average his Department paid for a typical  (a) laptop and  (b) desktop computer (i) including and (ii) excluding value added tax in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The average price paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the financial year 2009-10 for a desktop computer is approximately £787 excluding VAT and £1,862 excluding VAT for laptops. The costs of individual desktop and laptop computers can vary considerably depending on the model required and whether it is purchased for network or standalone use. If it is to be networked the cost will include the price of ongoing support from our IT supplier and of providing security features to meet the relevant cross government requirements set by the Cabinet Office and Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG).

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Barbara Follett: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The number and the average salaries of the disabled and non-disabled staff employed by the Department for Communities and Local Government who have made their disability status known, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent 
			   Average salaries (£)  Staff number 
			 Disabled-Full-time 35,411 90 
			 Disabled-Part-time 41,023 5.7 
			 Non-disabled-Full-time 40,722 1,296 
			 Non-disabled-Part-time 40,569 133.4 
		
	
	 (b) Information on the average salaries of disabled and non-disabled staff in the Department's agencies is not held centrally.

Departmental Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated  (a) amount and  (b) cost was of energy used in his Department and its agencies in each year since 1997; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The amount and cost of energy used by Communities and Local Government and its executive agencies in each year since 2004-05 is detailed in the following table. To provide data prior to 2004-05 would represent disproportionate costs to the Department.
	
		
			  CLG  c entral 
			   Electricity  ( kWh )  R enewable  (%)  Cost (£)  Gas  ( kWh )  Cost (£) 
			 2004-05 10,744,962 99 392,578 9,289,748 161,962 
			 2005-06 12,642,144 99 740,661 9,339,992 212,924 
			 2006-07 13,018,289 92 1,185,468 8,769,886 280,322 
			 2007-08 10,850,743 91 743,455 7,033,682 172,769 
			 2008-09 7,350,508 98 (1)- 4,763,012 (1)- 
		
	
	
		
			  Executive a gencies 
			   Electricity  ( kWh )  R enewable  (%)  Cost (£)  Gas  ( kWh )  Cost (£) 
			 2004-05 15,311,717 46 621,065 20,434,155 270,500 
			 2005-06 12,700,819 52 743,699 20,740,911 363,795 
			 2006-07 12,889,192 51 979,996 21,168,731 427,325 
			 2007-08 11,751,470 53 962,422 18,084,384 308,092 
			 2008-09 12,161,536 51 1,046,516 17,682,433 419,928 
			 (1) Full energy costs for CLG Central are not known for 2008-09 due to estate rationalisation and subsequent incomplete pro-rated costs from our landlord. 
		
	
	Mandatory cross-Government targets require Departments and their agencies to reduce carbon emissions from offices by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11 against 1999-2000 levels and to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewables by 31 March 2008. Performance is reported annually as part of the Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) process.
	The latest assessment of Government's performance against these targets was published by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) on the 18 December 2009, and is available on the OGC website
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sustainability_programme_ progress.asp
	Information on reporting years prior to 2008/09 was collated and published by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) and can be found on the SDC website
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and its predecessors and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Barbara Follett: The phrases 'in transition' and 'managed out' are not used in the civil service. However, we have taken the former to mean staff officially declared to be surplus, and the latter to mean surplus staff leaving the organisation, either through redeployment or compulsory redundancy.
	In Communities and Local Government surplus staff are not necessarily managed out. The Department's redeployment pool, known as the Career Transition Centre, includes staff returning from loans, secondments, and career breaks, as well as those currently without permanent posts. Most of these staff are redeployed within the civil service.
	The following table shows the length of the transition window, with associated salary costs, and the proportion of staff who were surplus for more than six months. The cost of surplus staff has only been centrally accounted for in Communities and Local Government since April 2008 so no data on this are available prior to this date. Similarly, the Department did not track staff redeployment before April 2008.
	
		
			   Number of surplus staff exiting the organisation  Salary cost for transition period (£)  Average length of transition period in months  Percentage in transition for more than six months 
			  Central Communities and Local Government 
			 2010 (1)- (1)- (1)- 63 
			 2009 21 483,776.47 6.65 26 
			 2008 (1)- (1)- (1)- 6 
			 2007 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2005 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			  Government Offices 
			 2010 (1)- (1)- (1)- 67 
			 2009 15 124,878.00 5.33 27 
			 2008 11 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2007 27 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 31 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2005 (1)- n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total 88 n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			  QEII Centre 
			 2010 0 0 0 0 
			 2009 0 0 0 0 
			 2008 0 0 0 0 
			 2007 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Planning Inspectorate 
			 2010 0 0 0 0 
			 2009 0 0 0 0 
			 2008 0 0 0 0 
			 2007 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Fire Service college 
			 2010 0 0 0 0 
			 2009 6 96,514.00 6.00 3 
			 2008 6 93,284.00 7.00 2 
			 2007 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 16 249,720.00 6.00 6 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 28 439,518.00 3.17 11 
			  
			 Total n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1) This shows where less than five employees exited in a particular year. Publication of further details could breach our rules of confidentiality and are thus, not provided.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector.

Barbara Follett: No data are collected on the future employment of staff who leave the Department or its agencies.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on ministerial hospitality in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08 expressed in current prices.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) on 17 December 2008,  Official Report, column 787W.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many receptions he has hosted for representatives of print and broadcast media since 3 October 2008.

Barbara Follett: Since his appointment as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in June 2009, my right hon. Friend has hosted two receptions for representatives of print and broadcast media.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many receptions he has hosted for representatives of print and broadcast media since October 2008; how much each reception cost; and how many attended each.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government published an annual list of receptions hosted by Ministers for 2008-09 in a written ministerial statement on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 118WS.
	The next return will be published in July 2010.

Departmental Recruitment

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies spent on external recruitment consultants in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
	The Planning Inspectorate does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.
	Fire Service college have made no payments to external recruitment consultants in FY 2008-09.
	Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre have made no payments to external recruitment consultants in FY 2008-09.

Departmental Recruitment

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacancies in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies were filled using external recruitment consultants in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold this information centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Planning Inspectorate filled two vacancies in the last 12 months.
	Fire Service college have not filled any vacancies in the last 12 months.
	Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre have not filled any vacancies in the last 12 months.

Departmental Surveys

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1117W, on FlexSpace, if he will place in the Library a copy of the staff survey carried out in January 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government is making arrangements for a copy of the SpaceFlex staff survey, along with the results of the project's post occupation evaluation survey, to be placed in the Library once the project has been completed and evaluated.
	The project is due to complete in July 2010. The post occupancy evaluation will then be undertaken and the Department anticipates the results to be available in October 2010.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much area-based grant was allocated to  (a) waste disposal and  (b) waste collection authorities in 2008-09; and how much such grant he plans to allocate to each type of authority in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Rosie Winterton: In two tier areas, waste collection is generally carried out by district councils and waste disposal by county councils. In single tier areas, such as unitary authorities and metropolitan borough councils, collection and disposal is generally combined, although in some Metropolitan areas waste disposal is carried out on behalf of local authorities by statutory joint waste disposal authorities.
	The allocation of area based grant (ABG) for each district council, county council, unitary authority and metropolitan borough council for 2008-09 to 2010-11 is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localgovernmentfinance/areabasedgrant/
	ABG is unhypothecated and decisions on the use of the grant are for individual local authorities.

Employment Tribunals Service

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employment disputes involving staff of his Department have been taken to an employment tribunal since 2003; what the outcome was in each case which has been concluded; and what the grounds for dispute were in each case.

Barbara Follett: Less than five employment disputes involving Communities and Local Government staff have been taken to an employment tribunal since the Department was established in 2006. Consequently, publication of details relating to these cases could breach our rules of confidentiality and so cannot be provided.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1299W, on empty dwelling management orders, how many empty dwelling management orders have been issued by each local authority since the date of that answer; how many resulted in the re-occupation of empty dwellings; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: 27 interim empty dwelling management orders had been issued by 19 October 2009. Since that date the Department is aware of one further interim empty dwelling management order issued by South Gloucestershire council that has been authorised by a residential property tribunal. This has not yet resulted in the reoccupation of the property.
	Empty dwelling management orders are a last resort, where all other measures of investigation and negotiation have been exhausted and the local authority has been unable to persuade the owner to bring the property back into use. In many cases the threat of an empty dwelling management order is sufficient to make owners take action.

Energy Performance Certificates

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties there were on the Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Register in  (a) November 2009,  (b) December 2009 and  (c) January 2010.

Ian Austin: The number of domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) on the Domestic EPC Register was 3,904,360 on 30 November 2009, 4,008,217 on 31 December 2009 and 4,144,284 on 31 January 2010.

Gardens: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 660, on planning, which part of the 1992 planning guidance defined gardens as brownfield land for planning purposes.

Ian Austin: The classification of land introduced in 1985 in the first report on Land Use Change in England included a Residential category that covered Houses, flats and adjoining garages, gardens, estate roads and pathways, sheltered accommodation where residences have separate front entrances.
	This classification thus established the principle that gardens should not be separated from the curtilage when establishing for statistical purposes whether residential land has been redeveloped for other purposes.
	The 1992 Planning Policy Guidance note (Housing) drew on the 1985 based classification. It states that
	recent information on land use changes in England shows that nearly half of the land developed for housing was either previously developed or was vacant land in built up areas.
	What counted as previously developed in this context was plainly based on the classifications which had been in use since 1985.

Government Offices for the Regions: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) running cost and  (b) aggregate programme expenditure was of each Government Office of the Regions in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: The running (admin) cost and aggregate programme expenditure for each of the regional Government Offices for 2008-09 was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Regional Government Office  Running (admin) costs expenditure 2008-09  Aggregate programme expenditure 2008-09 
			 GO North East 10,178,900 63,201,887 
			 GO North West 12,191,200 587,300,000 
			 GO Yorkshire and Humber 8,922,600 1,441,209,521 
			 GO West Midlands 10,837,400 100,156,000 
			 GO East Midlands 8,932,000 51,181,868 
			 GO East 9,109,600 65,257,342 
			 GO South East 10,561,400 209,777,489 
			 GO South West 10,467,500 545,083,981 
			 GO London 11,811,500 100,367,713 
		
	
	The aggregate programme expenditure figure is made up of the programme budgets delegated by 12 Sponsor Departments directly to each regional Government Office and includes European expenditure.
	The existing Sponsor Departments are CLG, BIS, DfT, DCFS, DWP, DEFRA, Home Office, MoJ, DECC, DCMS, Cabinet Office and DoH.

Green Belt

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to protect the green belt in  (a) England,  (b) East of England,  (c) Bedfordshire and  (d) Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Ian Austin: We are committed to the protection of green belt throughout England. Only in exceptional circumstances may its boundaries be amended, where the tests in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, 'Green Belts', are met. Disregarding the reclassification of 47,300 hectares as National Park in 2005, green belt nationally has grown by around 34,000 hectares since 1997.
	In the East of England Plan 2008, Policy SS7 states that the broad extent of green belts in the region is appropriate and should be maintained. However, it identifies the need for strategic review of green belt boundaries at Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Harlow and Welwyn/Hatfield. These are designated key centres for development and change where significant growth allocations have been made.
	In Bedfordshire the Milton Keynes/South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy 2005 required a strategic green belt review at Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis and at Leighton Linslade. This was required to provide room for growth around the conurbation to 2031, and is being undertaken as part of the core strategy for Luton/southern central Bedfordshire which is currently in preparation. It is not yet clear whether or not the hon. Member's constituency is likely to be directly affected. The area of individual green belts is for local planning authorities to decide.

Green Belt

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects on the protection of the green belt of the introduction of National Policy Statements.

John Healey: The Government have no proposals to change policy for the protection of green belts. National Policy Statements incorporate green belt policy.

Housing Associations: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the level of borrowing by housing associations to finance the building of new homes.

Ian Austin: The housing association sector has successfully raised £58 billion of private finance, enabling it to develop new affordable housing, invest in its existing stock and deliver quality services to its tenants. This includes £13.4 billion of committed loan facilities that are available to meet the sector's forecast funding requirements. For 2009-14 associations are currently forecasting that they will undertake new development with a net cost (after grant and sales receipts) of £9.44 billion which will be funded by private finance.

Housing: Construction

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes for social rent were built  (a) by local authorities,  (b) by housing associations and  (c) privately in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10 to date.

Ian Austin: The following table shows new build homes for social rent completed in 2008-09 by type of provider.
	
		
			  New-build homes for social rent by sector: England 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Total social rented provision 27,790 
			   
			  Of which:  
			 Local authorities 570 
			 Registered social landlords 22,670 
			 Private sector 4,550 
			  Sources: Homes and Communities Agency, P2 returns to CLG, Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix. 
		
	
	Data are reported by the tenure of the dwelling rather than by the organisation carrying out the construction as most dwellings are built by private builders even if the final tenure is in the social stock.
	Not all housing for social rent is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. In 2008-09, a total of 31,090 homes for social rent were supplied.
	Complete estimates for 2009-10 are not available. House building statistics for the first six months of 2009-10 show that 160 new build units for social rent were completed by local authorities in this period. The Homes and Communities Agency have published official statistics on the number of affordable homes delivered under the National Affordable Housing programme (NAHP) for April to September 2009. These show that a total of 10,671 units were completed for social rent in this period under the NAHP, of which 9,809 were new build completions. However, these figures do not provide a complete picture of new build homes for social rent delivered by RSLs. Estimates for the private sector are not available for 2009-10.

Housing: Construction

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all new  (a) dwellings,  (b) affordable homes and  (c) homes for social rent in England were flats with (i) one bedroom, (ii) two bedrooms, (iii) three or more bedrooms in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: The information requested on all new dwellings can be found on the Department's website in Live Table 254:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	For information on affordable homes and homes for social rent I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 243W.
	Not all affordable housing is provided through new build completions, supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In 2008-09, a total of 55,770 additional affordable homes, of which 31,090 were for social rent homes, were provided.

Housing: Construction

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all new  (a) dwellings,  (b) affordable homes and  (c) homes for social rent in England were (i) flats and (ii) houses in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: The information requested on all new dwellings can be found on the Department's website in Live Table 254:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	For information on affordable homes and homes for social rent I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 243W.

Housing: Prices

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the average cost, including value added tax, to a certificate holder of a domestic energy performance certificate for an average family home in London.

Ian Austin: The cost of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) is determined by the market. No information is therefore held centrally upon which to base an estimate of the average cost to building owners or landlords of having an EPC prepared on any property that they may own.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his latest estimate is of the  (a) capital and  (b) running costs of the Infrastructure Planning Commission in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

John Healey: The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was established on 1 October 2009 providing advice and guidance to promoters.
	The estimated costs for the IPC for six months from October to March of 2009-10 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  (a) Capital 1.24 
			  (b) Running costs 2.68 
		
	
	The capital costs include the development of an IT case management system and running costs include staff and Commissioner recruitment and training.
	From 1 March 2010 the IPC will be ready to receive applications for development consent and the estimated running costs for 2010-11 are set out in the Impact Assessment published in November 2007 and the Annex published in January 2009 which are available on the Communities and Local Government website. No major additional capital costs for 2010-11 are anticipated to those incurred in 2009-10.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Pay

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 204W, on the Infrastructure Planning Commission, what the monetary value is of the remuneration paid to the chairman of the Commission is including  (a) salary,  (b) employee pension contribution,  (c) travel expenses and  (d) benefits in kind; whether any form of bonus or incentive payment is included in the package; and what (i) minimum length of contract and (ii) notice period applies.

John Healey: The annual financial monetary value of the remuneration paid to the Chair of the Commission is as follows:
	
		
			  Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC): Chair remuneration 
			   £/Hours 
			 Basic salary £184,000 
			 Bonus structure None 
			 Employer's pension contribution Not pensionable 
			 Benefits in kind/Incentives None 
			 Contracted hours 4 days/week 
			 Travel expenses (October to December 2009) £3,538.85 
			  Note: The IPC will publish the detail of expenses on their website on a quarterly basis. 
		
	
	In line with Schedule 1, Part 3 (1) of the Planning Act 2008, which stipulates; the chair, must be appointed for a fixed period which must not be less than five years or more than eight years, the chair has been appointed for the minimum five years, which can be extended for a further three years subject to satisfactory performance. The appointment can be terminated early by either party, by giving three months notice, in writing.

Land: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1124W, on land: databases, what  (a) type of information and  (b) level of detail provided by infra-red aerial photography as part of the Pan-Government Agreement on geographical information.

Ian Austin: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Pan-Government Agreement colour infra-red aerial photography provides a representation of the real world that highlights actual landcover on the ground. It is commonly used in environmental applications as it is effective at discriminating variations in vegetation.
	 (b) The data are provided at 50cm resolution.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1645W, on local government finance, how many separate data attributes or indicators are collected as part of each of the datasets listed in the answer.

Barbara Follett: The information collected on each of the local government finance data sets can be found from the forms which can be accessed on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/usefulinformation/formstimetable/

Local Government Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Audit Commission has made of the cost to local authorities of central government inspection, audit and compliance in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 23 February 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission has made no estimate of the cost to local authorities of central government inspection, audit and compliance in 2008-09.
	The total fees charged to local authorities in 2008-09 for external audit by auditors appointed by the Audit Commission and for Audit Commission inspections are set out in the Commission's annual report and accounts for that year.
	The inspectorates of local public services have jointly commissioned independent research into the costs to local authorities of compliance with Comprehensive Performance Assessment in 2008-09 and how this changed with the introduction of the new Comprehensive Area Assessment in 2009-10. This research is expected to be concluded in March 2010 and will be published as soon as it is available.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Local Government Finance Funding Changes Independent Inquiry

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 79 of the final report of the Lyons Inquiry into local government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submission to that Inquiry made by the National Audit Office.

Barbara Follett: I have placed a copy of the National Audit Office's submission to the Lyons Inquiry in the Library of the House.

Local Government: Bank Services

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities' requests for permission to capitalise potential losses on investments held in Icelandic banks have been  (a) granted and  (b) rejected; and on what grounds such bids have been rejected.

Barbara Follett: As capitalisation allows local authorities to use capital resources to meet revenue pressures applications are considered against strict and readily available criteria. All Icelandic capitalisation applications were assessed against the exceptional financial difficulties criteria.
	The list of authorities who applied for capitalisation under exceptional financial difficulties is available on the Department's public website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/xls/1451009.xls
	All bids were carefully considered, and the grounds for acceptance or rejection were the criteria for exceptional financial difficulties which are contained within the guidance to authorities. This is available on the Department's public website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1197739.pdf

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 290W, on local government: cost effectiveness, for what reason the £250 million cost to local authorities of the Personal Care at Home Bill is not being classified as a new burden under his Department's new burdens principle; over what period and in which financial years local authorities will be required to make the personal care efficiency savings; and whether local authorities will be required to increase council tax or cut services if the personal care efficiency savings are not made.

Barbara Follett: The provisions under the Personal Care at Home Bill will be funded through a combination of additional grant and redirected local authority efficiency savings. The cost of providing free Personal Care has been calculated to be £335 million in the first half year from October 2010; £210 million of this will be funded by the Department of Health and £125 million from local government efficiencies. The full-year costs have been calculated to be £670 million. Of this, £250 million would be met by local authority efficiencies and £420 million would come from the Department of Health. Decisions about the funding of frontline services from 2011-12, including adult social care, will be taken as part of the normal spending review process, which will take into account both pressures and the scope for further efficiency gains.
	The Government believe that it is right to expect councils to play their part to help deliver this new commitment. We have provided record investment in local government, with local authorities receiving £8.6 billion more over the current spending review. We have also confirmed in 'Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government' that we will free-up local resources through reducing burdens, targets and the level of ring-fencing. On top of this, low inflation and affordable pay settlements should mean that councils have room to redirect efficiency savings to deliver this priority.
	The Government have made clear that it expects the average Band D council tax increase in England to fall to a 16 year low in 2010-11 and will not hesitate to cap any excessive council tax increases set by individual authorities.

Local Government: Debt Collection

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Rossendale borough council's supervision of private bailiffs acting on that authority's behalf.

Barbara Follett: No. Any request for an assessment of Rossendale borough council's commercial contract with a private bailiff company should be raised with the council itself or the Audit Commission.

Local Government: Equality

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has provided to local authorities  (a) under the formula grant system and  (b) through specific grants to fund new burdens arising from new equality and diversity duties in each year since 2005-06.

Barbara Follett: The formula grant settlement in all these years took account of the spending pressures on all authorities' responsibilities, including equality and diversity duties, as well as the scope for efficiencies. No specific grants have been allocated relating to these issues.

Local Government: Pay

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of the planned increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions in each of the next three years.

Barbara Follett: There are no proposed or planned increases in employer's national insurance contributions in 2010-11. However, in 2011-12 employer's contributions are set to increase by 1 per cent. to 13.8 per cent. and the additional pressure this will put on the wage bills of local authorities will be considered, with all others during the next spending review. This will also take into account other factors, like the scope for continued efficiency gains.

Local Government: Pensions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average employer contribution rate to each fund of the Local Government Pension Scheme is.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally. A summary of the 2007 triennial valuation exercises, prepared by the Society of County Treasurers, can be found at:
	http://www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/pensions/download/2007_LGPS_Valuation_Survey_Results.pdf
	Individual scheme administering authorities can provide details of contribution levels of all fund employers and fund average contribution data.

Local Government: Pensions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 770W, on local government and fire services: pensions, what the level is at which employer pension contributions to the local government pension scheme will be  (a) capped and  (b) shared.

Rosie Winterton: Discussions are continuing with stakeholders about the final terms for cap and share to apply within the Local Government Pension Scheme having regard to the outcome of the 2010 actuarial valuation exercise.

Local Government: Pensions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to change the employee contribution rate for the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: There are no current plans to amend the Local Government Pension Scheme employee contribution tariff.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners are in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households have been refused assistance under the Mortgage Rescue Scheme because the value of the property exceeded the eligibility criteria.

John Healey: Regional property price caps for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme have been in place since the scheme was launched in January 2009. They reflect the aim of the scheme to provide targeted support for vulnerable households at risk of homelessness.
	The level of the caps was increased on 1 May and is now at least 150 per cent. of lower quartile property prices in each region. In addition, housing associations have flexibility to consider applications which exceed the cap if appropriate depending on household's individual circumstances.
	During 2009 fewer than 5 per cent. of applications were deemed ineligible for support because their property exceeded the regional price cap.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many applications were made to the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme from homeowners in Moray constituency in 2009; and how many of these met the eligibility criteria;
	(2)  how many homeowners are in receipt of help under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme in Moray constituency.

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications were made to the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme by homeowners in Angus constituency in 2009; and how many of these met the eligibility criteria.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners in Perth and North Perthshire constituency are in receipt of help under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W. This information is not collected at constituency level.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of eligible small firms which do not claim small business rate relief.

Barbara Follett: New work by CLG analysts, published on 9 December 2009, shows that take-up of small business rate relief (SBRR) is much better than some have previously claimed. The report Small business rate relief-improving evidence on eligibility and take-up: Methodology is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/smallbusinessmethod
	and estimates that, of the around 1.2 million business properties in England below the current rateable value (RV) thresholds for SBRR, around 575,000 are occupied by eligible small businesses; and around 68 per cent. of those eligible were actually claiming the relief at 31 December 2006, the latest date for which we have information on the number of claimants.
	This estimate of the number of properties claiming the relief will be updated for 2008-09 following the issue of the statistical release Number of hereditaments benefiting from Small Business Rate Relief and the number of empty hereditaments: experimental statistics that will be published on the Communities and Local Government website at the end of February.
	This means that an estimated 32 per cent. of properties occupied by eligible small businesses were not claiming the relief as at December 31 2006. The total amount of relief granted to small businesses has increased by 34 per cent. in real terms since we introduced the scheme- rising from £202 million in 2005-06 to £298 million in 2008-09. The new analysis estimates that in 2008-09, of the £325 million total relief that would be granted if all 575,000 eligible properties had claimed, 92 per cent. was actually paid out.
	We have taken action to make it as easy as possible for eligible small businesses to access the relief and so improve take-up. In 2007 we removed the requirement for claimants to re-apply each year, so that a small business only had to apply once in each revaluation period. And on December 9 2009 we laid before Parliament an Order to remove the requirement to re-apply for SBRR at revaluation in 2010, a move which has been welcomed by the Federation of Small Businesses.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the levy charged on the business rate multiplier to offset estimated losses in revenue due to rating appeals was in each year since 2005-06.

Barbara Follett: There is no additional levy added to the business rate multiplier to take account of estimated losses for appeal for each individual year. The business rate multiplier is calculated in a revaluation year according to the formula at schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
	The formula allows for the total rateable value of the ratings lists to be adjusted to take account of estimated losses in appeals. The subsequent multiplier for each year of the 2005 ratings list following the 2005-06 revaluation year was adjusted just by the RPI inflation.
	The calculation of the 2005-06 multiplier including an adjustment for estimated losses in appeals is set out in the Business Rates Information letter that I have put in the House Library.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of its property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases, which in 2010-11 will ensure no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1132W, on non-domestic rates: empty properties, if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on empty properties provided by each local authority as part of the most recent national non-domestic rates return.

Barbara Follett: Valid data at individual local authority level will be available following the issue of the statistical release Number of hereditaments benefiting from Small Business Rate Relief and the number of empty hereditaments: experimental statistics that will be published on the Communities and Local Government website at the end of February.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the correspondence received from GEFCO UK in relation to the new business rate regime affecting port businesses.

Barbara Follett: As explained to the hon. Member on 20 July 2009, it would be inappropriate for Ministers to release correspondence they receive without authority.

Parish Councils: Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which parish councils levy a precept on council tax.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally.

Parish Councils: Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the gross revenue raised from parish precepts was on council tax in England in each year since 1997-98; and what the average parish precept on a Band D bill was in each such year.

Barbara Follett: Details of the gross revenue raised from parish precepts on council tax and the average parish precept on a band D bill in England since 2000-01 are published in table A3c of Local Government Financial Statistics England No. 19 2009 that was published in May 2009.
	A copy of this publication is available in the Library of the House and a copy is also available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/financialstatistics192009

Private Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) start-up and  (b) ongoing costs of his Department's telephone helpline for tenants in the private rented sector;
	(2)  how much his Department plans to allocate to its new telephone helpline for tenants in the private rented sector.

Ian Austin: Our policy statement on the private rented sector published on 3 February included, as part of a package of measures designed to help tenants, landlords and letting agents, a commitment to set up a dedicated telephone helpline for private sector tenants by the summer of this year.
	As the statement makes clear, we are discussing the details of how this proposal will be implemented with stakeholders in the voluntary sector.

Private Rented Housing: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the written ministerial statement of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 54-6WS, on planning, what estimate has been made of the increase in the number of planning applications likely to result from the proposed changes.

Ian Austin: An estimate of the increase in the number of planning applications as a result of the proposed changes will be set out in the final impact assessment which is being produced in association with the implementing legislation.

Regional Planning and Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many core strategies have been approved by the relevant local planning authority to date; and how many Local Development Frameworks include a full set of documentation as required under the Local Development Scheme.

Ian Austin: Development Plan Documents are approved by local planning authorities at different stages: at publication; at submission of the strategy to the Secretary of State for an independent Examination in Public; and at adoption. The following table sets out the latest position for core strategies.
	Local Development Schemes are a forward look setting out the timetables for the Development Plan Documents that local authorities intend to prepare or review. These are subject to ongoing change as new circumstances and requirements arise. The LDS should therefore rarely if ever be completed.
	
		
			   Adopted  Submitted to SoS but not yet adopted  Published but not yet submitted 
			 Core strategies 61 25 31

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered social landlords there were in 2009; and how many properties were owned by them.

Ian Austin: On 31 March 2009 there were 1,830 landlords registered with the Tenant Services Authority and they owned a total of 2,379,728 units of housing.
	A unit of housing is a single family home; a bedsit, flat, family house or a bedspace(1) in a hostel.
	(1) Individuals placed in a hostel will occupy a bedspace in either a private room or a shared dormitory.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has conducted into the income of households in the social rented sector.

Ian Austin: The Survey of English Housing (SEH) has been the Department's main source of information on income by housing tenure up to 2007-08. From 2008-09 estimates will be mainly derived from the new English Housing Survey (EHS). An additional source is DWP's Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	The most recently published annual report, Housing in England 2007-08, contains tables derived from both the SEH and the FRS. The report can be accessed at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1346249.pdf

Tenant Services Authority

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) communications audit,  (b) campaign book,  (c) communications plan and  (d) political and key stakeholder outreach plan provided to the Tenant Services Authority under its contract with APCO Worldwide.

John Healey: No such documentation exists. A copy of the contract briefs is available in the Library of the House.

Unitary Councils: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the projected  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum cost savings estimated for each unitary authority established since 2007 were prior to the authority's inception; what cost saving targets were set when each was established; and what savings each has achieved to date.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 9 February 2010,  Official Report, column 882W.

Youth Services: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to local authorities for youth services in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 through (i) formula funding, (ii) specific grants, (iii) special grants and (iv) area-based grants; and how much such funding of each type was earmarked for (A) revenue support and (B) capital expenditure in each such year.

Barbara Follett: Neither formula grant nor Area Based Grant are hypothecated to any particular purpose. The Department has paid no specific or special grants to authorities for youth services in the years in question.

JUSTICE

Approved Premises

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average annual cost of housing a person in a probation hostel or approved premises was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The current grant for approved premises (formerly known as probation or bail hostels) equates to an average £26,600 per bed space for the current financial year, unchanged from the previous year. More than one resident will occupy a single bed space in approved premises over the course of a year, with an average stay of 74.7 days per resident.

Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Feltham and Heston constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice's work spans criminal, civil and family justice, democracy, rights and the constitution. Every year around nine million people use our services in 900 locations across the United Kingdom, including 650 courts and tribunals and 139 prisons in England and Wales.
	The range of the Department's policies and actions is wide and the statistical information relating to it is not normally collected on a constituency basis. Consequently, some of the information requested in the question cannot be provided in the form requested except at a disproportionate cost.
	Although data on sentencing for the period is not available for the constituency of Feltham and Heston, it is available for London. This shows the total number of offenders sentenced annually was 202,478 in 1997 and 242,429 in 2008, the latest period for which such information is available.
	The number of offences brought to justice for London increased from 119,531 for the 12 months ending 31 March 2001 (the earliest period since which such data have been compiled) to 230,202 (provisional figures) for the 12 months ending 31 March 2009.
	With regard to prosecutions, data are not available for the constituency of Feltham and Heston. However, the total number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts by the Metropolitan Police was 260,328 in 1997 compared to 279,581 in 2008.
	The latest data, which covers reoffending in the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, showed that the three month reoffending rate for offenders on the probation caseload in Hounslow was 8.15 per cent. After controlling for changes in the characteristics of offenders on the probation caseload, there was a reduction in reoffending of 6.06 per cent. compared to the 2007-08 baseline. Data are not available prior to 2007 on this basis.
	The number of persons commencing court order supervision by the Probation Service in London was 17,214 in 1997 and 23,787 in 2008.
	163,570 civil non-family proceedings were started in the county courts of London Civil and Family HM Courts Service (HMCS) area and Staines in 2008, compared to 275,769 in 1998, the first year for which these figures are available. In respect of family law, there were also 15,680 private law applications and 870 public law applications made in the county or High Courts of this HMCS area and Staines in 2008-09, compared to 11,931 and 1,095 respectively in 2003-04, the first annual period for which these figures are available.
	In addition, at a national level:
	Local communities are being better engaged in criminal justice-by giving them a say in the types of Community Payback projects offenders carry out and allowing them to see justice being done, for example through the use of high visibility jackets. Offenders have now worked more than 14 million hours, with an estimated value to the taxpayer of over £80 million.
	Major constitutional reforms have been delivered, including devolution, the Human Rights Act, Freedom of Information, Lords Reform, and a new Supreme Court for the UK.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are employed at the  (a) national and  (b) regional level in the National Offender Management Service.

Maria Eagle: On 31 December 2009 the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Headquarters employed 2,260 at national headquarters and 1,094 at regional offices and in regionally organised technical support teams. A further 1,021 staff are employed by the NOMS Shared Service Centre in Newport, South Wales.

Offenders: Deportation

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners serving sentences of less than 12 months have a court recommendation for deportation.

Jack Straw: At the end of June 2009, there were 990 foreign national prisoners (FNPs) in England and Wales, serving a sentence of less than 12 months.
	Data on how many of these FNPs also received court recommendation for deportation is not held centrally and could not be provided without manual checking of records at disproportionate cost.
	This figure has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Accommodation

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Harborough of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 774-75W, on prison accommodation, how many cells were not in use in each  (a) prison for adult males,  (b) prison for adult females,  (c) young offender institution for males and (d) young offender institution for females on 1 January 2010 or the latest date for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: As at 29 January 2010 there were 1,598 places recorded as out of use from the total certified normal accommodation (CNA) of the prison estate. This represents 2.1 per cent. of the total CNA.
	The data available do not allow for a breakdown of whether these places are for young offenders or adults.
	Comprehensive information on why these places are out of use is not held centrally, however the majority of out of use accommodation will be due to maintenance or refurbishment work taking place.
	There is a planned programme of refurbishment of accommodation which requires the temporary closure of prison places. This allows the critical maintenance of the estate to be undertaken whilst having no significant change on the number of net places in use.
	The following table shows the total number of places that were recorded as out of use by male and female establishments.
	HMP Ashwell has 415 places out of use following an incident in April 2009. HMP Wealstun has 300 places out of use while part of the establishment is re-rolled to closed conditions.
	
		
			  Establishment name  Number  of places out of use  Percentage of CNA 
			  Male establishments   
			 Ashfield 7 1.7 
			 Ashwell 415 69.3 
			 Aylesbury 12 2.6 
			 Bedford 1 0.9 
			 Channings Wood 2 0.3 
			 Cookham Wood 25 17.2 
			 Dartmoor 62 9.8 
			 Dorchester 8 5.5 
			 Edmunds Hill 10 2.6 
			 Elmley (Sheppey Cluster) 18 2.4 
			 Featherstone 29 4.3 
			 Full Sutton 8 1.3 
			 Grendon 23 9.1 
			 Haslar 22 13.8 
			 Hindley 66 13.0 
			 Isle of Wight(1) 1 0.1 
			 Lincoln 12 2.7 
			 Liverpool 10 0.8 
			 Long Lartin 13 2 
			 Manchester 16 1.7 
			 Moorland 13 1.8 
			 Pentonville 5 0.5 
			 Portland 72 11.9 
			 Ranby 1 0.1 
			 Rochester 32 4.2 
			 Spring Hill 1 0.3 
			 Stoke Heath 58 9.1 
			 Swaleside 127 13.6 
			 Swansea 18 7.3 
			 Wakefield 1 0.1 
			 Wealstun 300 37 
			 Whatton 45 0.4 
			 Whitemoor 28 5.7 
			 Woodhill 5 0.8 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 23 2 
			
			  Female establishments   
			 Askham Grange 24 16.0 
			 Holloway 29 5.5 
			 Low Newton 45 14.3 
			 New Hall 9 2.3 
			 Styal 2 0.4 
			 (1) The sites at Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst constitute HMP Isle of Wight.

Prison Officers

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers were  (a) disciplined or  (b) dismissed from (i) privately and (ii) publicly managed prisons in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: In the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) information is only held centrally in respect of staff disciplined or dismissed from publicly managed prisons. There is no requirement for privately managed prisons to notify NOMS headquarters of any disciplinary action taken against their employees. In order to provide the information required in respect of the privately managed prisons, we would have to contact each of the prisons concerned and ask them to submit their records for the last five years to NOMS so that it could be collated. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the number of prison officers in the public sector Prison Service who have been disciplined or dismissed in each of the last five calendar years. Staff can be dismissed from the public sector Prison Service if their attendance, conduct or performance falls below the required standards. The data given for dismissals includes all prison officers from publicly managed prisons who have left the service for inefficiency, conduct and performance reasons.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Disciplinary cases(1) 156 160 185 122 151 774 
			 Dismissals(2) 172 167 200 185 170 894 
			 (1) Data on disciplinary cases is derived from the HR Discipline Database and the Shared Service Personnel Management Database. As with any large-scale administrative systems these are liable to a certain level of inaccuracy. It includes all centrally recorded disciplinary cases excluding those resulting in dismissal from service. (2) Data includes dismissals for inefficiency, conduct and performance reasons and is derived from the Oracle HR system and the former Personnel Corporate Database. As with any large-scale administrative systems these are liable to a certain level of inaccuracy.

Prison Officers

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average duration of standard initial training for prison officers is in  (a) privately and  (b) publicly managed prisons.

Maria Eagle: In privately managed prisons the duration of initial training for prison custody officers (equivalent to prison officers in the public sector) is nine weeks. The training is mainly classroom based but includes job shadowing in the prison.
	All newly recruited prison officers in public sector prisons are required to complete a one year foundation training programme, leading to a level 3 National Vocational Qualification in Custodial Care (CCNVQ). Training begins with an eight week prison officer entry level training course, which is mainly college-based. This provides staff with all the underpinning knowledge and understanding in core skills required to successfully complete their CCNVQ within 12 months of joining the National Offender Management Service.

Prison: Offences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons were free from  (a) illegal drug use and  (b) mobile telephone smuggling in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: Prisons have achieved considerable success in reducing the level of drug misuse against a background of continuing high demand for drugs. Drug misuse as measured by random mandatory drug testing has fallen 68 per cent. since 1996-97.
	The following table gives the number of prisons that reported no drug misuse, as measured by random mandatory drug testing (MDT), in each year since 1996-97. Many prisons also report very low levels of drug misuse. The varying nature of individual prison populations can result in fluctuating month to month MDT positive rates. Many prisons achieve periods of zero positive rates but are not drug free over an entire 12 month period.
	
		
			   Number of prisons reporting no drug misuse, as measured by random MDT 
			 1996-97 1 
			 1997-98 0 
			 1998-99 0 
			 1999-2000 1 
			 2000-01 2 
			 2001-02 2 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2006-07 1 
			 2007-08 2 
			 2008-09 1 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	The data are not subject to audit.
	Due to the covert nature of mobile phone use in prisons, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not able to identify definitively prisons where there is a complete absence of mobile phone smuggling. NOMS is acutely aware of the threat posed by mobile phone use in prisons and has introduced measures to assist prisons in minimising the number of mobile phones entering prison, finding mobile phones within prisons and disrupting the use of mobile phones that cannot be found. NOMS is working to implement systems to improve the reporting by prisons of mobile phone seizures which will assist in understanding the scale of the issue.

Prisoners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) high,  (b) medium and  (c) low projections he has made for the prison population in each of the next five years.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in August 2009.
	These project the prison population under three different scenarios, based on different assumptions about future sentencing trends: the Medium scenario assumes no increases or decreases in custody rates or determinate sentence lengths. The High/Low scenarios reflect a 1 per cent. per annum increase/decrease in custody rates and a 0.5 per cent. increase/decrease in the average (determinate) custodial sentence lengths.
	Other impacts included in the projections, such as those of legislation and processes, are applied equally to all scenarios. These cover the anticipated impacts of policy and process initiatives that have agreed implementation timetables. These assumptions and anticipated impacts have remained unchanged since last year projections.
	The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Projected prison population (end June figures) 
			   High  Medium  Low 
			 2010 85,700 84,900 83,900 
			 2011 88,600 86,900 84,900 
			 2012 90,200 87,700 84,900 
			 2013 91,100 87,600 84,000 
			 2014 92,400 88,000 83,500 
			  Notes: 1. All numbers rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. The prison population is influenced by diverse factors that can mean that the actual future prison population may not be the same as that projected: changes in sentencer behaviour, policy decisions and the criminal justice process, which can respond to a multitude of environmental factors such as high profile criminal cases and public debate; implementation of new policies and processes without a timetable, or for which a quantitative assessment of the impact is currently not possible; unknown future policy, process and political changes. 
		
	
	More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin, Prison Population Projections 2009-2015 Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 28 August 2009. This is available at the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonpopulation.htm

Prisoners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on projections for prison  (a) population and  (b) capacity over the next two years.

Jack Straw: The latest projections for the prison population were published on the 28 August 2009, in the Ministry of Justice publication Prison Population Projections 2009-15 available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics.htm
	They cover the period August 2009-June 2015 and investigate three future scenarios.
	These projections were produced using a version of the long term prison population projections model that was developed in the 1990's and has worked well. However, in line with good practice, further development of the long-term modelling of the prison projections is being undertaken in 2009 and 2010, to ensure the model continues to perform and is using the most up to date techniques and data. A new, more flexible framework will be developed.
	This development process has provided the opportunity for stakeholders to influence the way in which the model is developed and they have been asked to comment, or ask for further details, via the MoJ website. At the current time no comments or other representations have been received.
	With regards to prison capacity the Ministry of Justice has received different forms of representation on future prison capacity from a variety of sources, among them Members of Parliament, non-governmental organisations and members of the public. Details of all these representations are not all held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to his Department of holding in prison  (a) an adult and  (b) a person aged under 21 years;
	(2)  what criteria are used to determine the average cost of a prison place in England and Wales; and whether this includes the cost of the National Offender Management Service national and regional structures.

Maria Eagle: For 2008-09, the average cost per prisoner in an adult prison was £39,600 and in a young offender institution was £53,400.
	These average costs comprise the expenditure on public and private prisons (as recorded in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Agency Annual Report and Accounts), increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the regions by NOMS. This involves some estimation. In addition, expenditure met centrally by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) is included. The figures do not include the cost of prisoners held in police or court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. Health and Education). The prisoner escort service costs are included. Where the costs of young people are recharged by NOMS to the YJB, expenditure is shown gross and not reduced by income from the YJB.

Prisoners

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's  (a) high,  (b) medium and  (c) low projections of the prison population are for each month to December 2011.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in August 2009.
	These project the prison population under three different scenarios, based on different assumptions about future sentencing trends: the Medium scenario assumes no increases or decreases in custody rates or determinate sentence lengths. The High/Low scenarios reflect a 1 per cent. per annum increase/decrease in custody rates and a 0.5 per cent. increase/decrease in the average (determinate) custodial sentence lengths.
	Other impacts included in the projections, such as those of legislation and processes, are applied equally to all scenarios. These cover the anticipated impacts of policy and process initiatives that have agreed implementation timetables. These assumptions and anticipated impacts have remained unchanged since last year projections.
	The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Monthly values of projected prison population for High, Medium and Low scenarios 
			   High  Medium  Low 
			 July 2009 83,962 83,962 83,962 
			 August 2009 83,400 83,300 83,200 
			 September 2009 83,700 83,600 83,400 
			 October 2009 84,100 83,900 83,600 
			 November 2009 84,200 83,900 83,500 
			 December 2009 82,300 82,000 81,500 
			 January 2010 83,300 82,900 82,400 
			 February 2010 83,600 83,100 82,500 
			 March 2010 84,800 84,200 83,500 
			 April 2010 85,000 84,400 83,600 
			 May 2010 85,000 84,300 83,400 
			 June 2010 85,700 84,900 83,900 
			 July 2010 86,600 85,700 84,700 
			 August 2010 86,400 85,500 84,400 
			 September 2010 86,700 85,700 84,400 
			 October 2010 86,800 85,700 84,400 
			 November 2010 87,300 86,100 84,800 
			 December 2010 85,600 84,400 82,900 
			 January 2011 86,500 85,200 83,600 
			 February 2011 86,800 85,400 83,700 
			 March 2011 87,800 86,400 84,600 
			 April 2011 87,700 86,100 84,300 
			 May 2011 88,000 86,300 84,400 
			 June 2011 88,600 86,900 84,900 
			 July 2011 89,200 87,400 85,300 
			 August 2011 89,200 87,300 85,200 
			 September 2011 89,300 87,400 85,200 
			 October 2011 89,400 87,400 85,200 
			 November 2011 89,600 87,500 85,200 
			 December 2011 87,400 85,200 82,800 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Data are given for the last day of each month. 3. The prison population is influenced by diverse factors that can mean that the actual future prison population may not be the same as that projected: changes in sentencer behaviour, policy decisions and the criminal justice process, which can respond to a multitude of environmental factors such as high profile criminal cases and public debate; implementation of new policies and processes without a timetable, or for which a quantitative assessment of the impact is currently not possible; unknown future policy, process and political changes. 4. The July 2009 prison population figure is a provisional figure published on the 31 July 2009 by HM Prison Service: www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/1000481131072009_web_report.doc 
		
	
	More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin, Prison Population Projections 2009-2015 Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 28 August 2009. This is available at the following webpage:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonpopulation.htm

Prisoners Release

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of offenders who  (a) on release from custodial sentences and  (b) on commencement of a community sentence, are moved to a different geographical area from their home address for (i) reasons of rehabilitation, (ii) reasons of victim safety and (iii) other reasons.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not collated centrally. Offenders are transferred between probation areas for a variety of reasons, including rehabilitation and victim safety. However, there is no mechanism is place to record centrally the reasons behind these transfers.
	To answer the question, each probation area would need to review their case load to establish the number of offenders who have been transferred between probation areas, and then to examine those cases to determine the reasons behind each move. This could be achieved only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Prisoners Transfers

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of transferring prisoners to Crown Dependencies in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The cost of the transferring prisoners from England and Wales to the three Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man) was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006 7,431.78 
			 2007 4,463.40 
			 2008 4,591.52 
			 2009 7,386.84 
		
	
	The costs shown cover the cost of the flights for the prisoner and escorting staff. The cost of transferring the prisoner from a prison to the airport is covered by the inter prison transfer contract and is not separately recorded. The cost of transfer before 2006 was met from the contract in place at the time. Costs incurred under that contract were not separately recorded.

Prisoners: Education and Drugs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessors spent on  (a) prisoner education and  (b) drug treatment programmes for prisoners in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Table 1 following shows the amount spent on prisoner education and training in each of the last five years in public sector prisons in England, funded by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and its predecessors:
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 151 
			 2006-07 156 
			 2007-08 175 
			 2008-09 178 
			 2009-10 178 
		
	
	The current budget has increased threefold since 2001.
	In 2003 a ministerial decision was taken that the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) took responsibility for planning, funding and, with the then Regional Offender Managers (ROMS), commissioning of a new Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) in public sector prisons and for offenders under supervision in community in England. OLASS came into effect across England with effect from 31 July 2006.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) also spent a further £30 million in European Social Funds. This was used for a number of regionally commissioned projects around vocational training and employer engagement in both prisons and the community for the two calendar years 2006 and 2007. They also established a £13.9 million budget from EQUAL funding for the period December 2006 to March 2008 to meet additional provision for offenders both in custody and in the community.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) gained co-financing organisation status in January 2009 and successfully bid for a total of £50 million of European Social Funding to enhance the skills and employment services to offenders in prison and the community. NOMS has been granted the funding over 27 months to increase offenders' employability and improve their access to mainstream support provision. Planning is already under way to extend the funding into a second phase up to 2013.
	In addition, training for prisoners is undertaken, mainly by Prison Service staff, while prisoners work or are engaged in various areas such as prison industries, catering, physical education, land based activities, industrial cleaning and laundries. The central costs of the training elements of these, mainly production functions, are not kept centrally.
	Table 2 shows Ministry of Justice/Home Office additional funding allocations for the delivery of drug interventions in prisons over the last five years. The figures include funding for accredited drug treatment programmes, Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services (CARATs), the Young People's Substance Misuse Service (for 15 to 18-year-olds only) and Compact Based Drug Testing.
	In addition to this the Ministry of Justice has permanently transferred £11.3 million a year to primary care trusts for the delivery of clinical drug treatment in prisons.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  £ million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 CARATs 26.8 30.3 32.1 33 34.2 
			 Young People's Substance Misuse Service 4.3 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 
			 Accredited Drug Treatment Programmes 21.1 21.7 21.7 21.8 22.4 
			 Compact Based Drug Testing (CBDT)(1) 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 
			 Total MoJ funding for prison drug interventions 60.5 65 66.8 67.8 69.6 
			 (1) CBDT includes voluntary drug testing and incentive based drug testing.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has made an estimate of the number of foreign nationals likely to serve custodial sentences in England and Wales in each year to 2014.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice does not undertake separate population projections for the foreign national population.

Prisoners: Gender Identity Disorder

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 865-6W, on prisoners: gender identity disorder, in what form the advice and information contained within the draft guidance is made available to prisoners who do not request it.

Maria Eagle: The guidance or advice is normally given when requested by prison staff who have been approached by prisoners seeking this information, or where they identify a prisoner on reception who is undergoing gender re-assignment treatment. There are also occasions when prisoners have written direct to officials in the National Offender Management Service for advice or information.
	The information or advice will normally be given to prison staff in the form of a detailed email with relevant attachments (a copy of the draft document). In the case of prisoners; they receive a detailed written reply which would also encourage them to speak to their personal officer or a member of the health care team. A copy of the draft document would not be supplied to prisoners.

Prisoners: Mothers

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of women in prison who  (a) have children,  (b) have children and no husband or long-term partner and  (c) have no registered address.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not routinely collected. However, a recent Ministry of Justice study suggested that 55 per cent. of women in prison are mothers. Work has begun with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to implement the recently published Framework for Supporting Offenders' Families. Within four days of entering custody, prisoners should have an assessment of their accommodation needs and if necessary, prison staff will provide advice and guidance to help them find settled accommodation prior to release.

Prisons : Manpower

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of continuous employment in the same prison was of  (a) prison officers and  (b) prison governors in (i) privately and (ii) publicly managed prisons in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is set out as follows:
	 Public Sector Establishments
	Information on the length of continuous service in the same public sector Prison Service establishment for both prison officers and operational managers is contained in the following table. The information relates to the average length of time that the officers or managers, who were in post on 31 December each year, had previously spent at their then current establishment.
	
		
			  Average time in current establishment of public sector staff 
			  Average length of service (years) in current establishment 
			  As at 31 December each year  Prison officers( 1)  Operational managers( 2) 
			 2009 8.9 5.8 
			 2008 8.4 5.5 
			 2007 8.2 5.3 
			 2006 8.1 5.3 
			 2005 8.0 5.1 
			 (1) Prison officers only, does not include senior or principal officers. (2) Includes all grades of operational managers, not only the in-charge governor. Manager G to senior manager A. 
		
	
	 Private Sector Establishments( 1)
	Information about private sector establishments has been provided by individual contractors where available. Limitations in the data available mean that not all private sector establishments have information available in a format that is compatible with the question. Information for these establishments is presented in a separate table.
	The private sector establishments have been in operation for a relatively short time and consequently the average length of service is inevitably lower than in public sector establishments where some individual officers have been in post for up to 40 years.
	(1) Information on average length of service was not available from the HR systems of Wolds and Parc without undertaking a large-scale manual data collection exercise.
	
		
			  Average time in current establishment of  private  sector staff( 1) 
			  Average length of service (years) in current establishment 
			  As at 31 December each year  Prison  custody  officer s  Governors( 2) 
			 2009 4.1 6.0 
			 2008 4.2 5.0 
			 2007 3.9 4.8 
			 2006 3.8 5.6 
			 2005 3.9 4.6 
			 (1) Information relates to Altcourse, Bronzefield, Dovegate (since 2007 only), Forest Bank and Peterborough. (2) The definition of governor differs across contractors from all managers to only the in-charge manager. 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of all staff( 1)  with more than two years service 
			   Proportion of staff with more than two years service in establishment (Percentage) 
			 2009 76.9 
			 2008 63.0 
			 2007 65.2 
			 2006 65.1 
			 2005(2) n/a 
			 (1) Information relates to all staff at Ashfield, Doncaster and Lowdham Grange. (2) Information not available for 2005.

Prisons: Dogs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) passive and  (b) active dogs there are in each prison in England and Wales; and on what basis they are distributed.

Maria Eagle: Allocation of drug detection dogs around the estate is decided on a regional basis, according to need. The profile is not static. In some regions there is a regional pool of dogs and handlers, moving from prison to prison as required. In other regions dogs and handlers are allocated to and permanently based in individual prisons as required.
	As of October 2009 the Prison Service had 216 active drug dogs and 204 passive drug dogs in prisons, allocated as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Prison  Active drug dogs  Passive drug dogs 
			 Acklington 2 1 
			 Ashfield 0 1 
			 Ashwell 1 1 
			 Aylesbury 1 0 
			 Bedford 2 2 
			 Belmarsh 4 2 
			 Birmingham 4 2 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 
			 Blundeston 2 2 
			 Brinsford 2 2 
			 Bristol 2 2 
			 Brixton 2 2 
			 Bronzefield 1 1 
			 Bullingdon 2 2 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 0 
			 Canterbury 0 0 
			 Cardiff 1 1 
			 Castington 2 2 
			 Channings Wood 2 2 
			 Chelmsford 3 2 
			 Coldingley 2 2 
			 Cookham Wood 0 0 
			 Dartmoor 2 2 
			 Deerbolt 2 2 
			 Dorchester 2 2 
			 Dovegate 1 3 
			 Downview 1 1 
			 Drake Hall 0 1 
			 Durham 4 4 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park 2 2 
			 Edmunds Hill 2 2 
			 Elmley 0 0 
			 Erlestoke 2 1 
			 Exeter 2 2 
			 Featherstone 1 1 
			 Feltham 1 1 
			 Ford 1 1 
			 Foston Hall 1 1 
			 Frankland 3 3 
			 Full Sutton 3 4 
			 Gartree 2 2 
			 Glen Parva 2 2 
			 Gloucester 2 2 
			 Grendon 2 2 
			 Guys Marsh 0 0 
			 Hewell 6 6 
			 Highdown 2 2 
			 Highpoint 4 4 
			 Hollesley Bay 1 1 
			 Holloway 2 2 
			 Holme House 2 2 
			 Huntercombe 0 0 
			 Isle of Wight 6 5 
			 Kingston 2 2 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 
			 Leicester 2 2 
			 Lewes 2 1 
			 Leyhill 4 2 
			 Lincoln 1 1 
			 Littlehay 2 2 
			 Long Lartin 5 5 
			 Low Newton 1 1 
			 Lowdham Grange 1 1 
			 Maidstone 1 1 
			 Manchester 4 3 
			 Morton Hall 1 1 
			 North Sea Camp 1 1 
			 North West Area Search Team(1) 14 13 
			 Norwich 3 3 
			 Nottingham 2 2 
			 Onley 1 1 
			 Parc 1 1 
			 Pentonville 3 3 
			 Peterborough 2 2 
			 Portland 2 1 
			 Ranby 2 2 
			 Reading 1 1 
			 Rochester 2 2 
			 Rye Hill 2 1 
			 Send 1 1 
			 Shepton Mallet 1 1 
			 Shrewsbury 2 1 
			 Springhill 0 0 
			 Stafford 2 2 
			 Standford Hill 1 0 
			 Stocken 4 4 
			 Stoke Heath 2 2 
			 Sudbury 2 2 
			 Swaleside 2 2 
			 Swansea 1 1 
			 Swinfen Hall 1 1 
			 The Mount 3 3 
			 The Verne 1 1 
			 Usk/Prescoed 0 0 
			 Wakefield 3 4 
			 Wandsworth 3 3 
			 Warren Hill 1 1 
			 Wayland 3 4 
			 Wellingborough 2 2 
			 Werrington 0 0 
			 Wharton 1 1 
			 Whitemoor 4 4 
			 Winchester 1 2 
			 Woodhill 4 3 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 2 2 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Area Search Team(2) 11 10 
			 Total 216 204 
			 (1) The North West Area Search Team covers the following prisons: Altcourse, Buckley Hall, Forest Bank, Garth, Haverigg, Hindley, Kennet, Kirkham, Lancaster Castle/Farms, Liverpool, Preston, Risley, Styal, Thorn Cross and Wymott.  (2) The Yorkshire and Humber Area Search Team covers the following prisons: Askham Grange, Doncaster, Everthorpe, Hull, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorlands, New Hall, Northallerton, Wealstun, Wetherby and Wolds.

Prisons: Drugs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether a positive mandatory drug test automatically results in the search of a prison cell.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service's National Security Framework (NSF) does not prescribe that a cell search should follow a positive mandatory drug test. Current NSF policy requires that cells must be searched using authorised national procedures set out in the document. The frequency of routine cell searching is a matter for local discretion and should be determined as part of local searching strategies to meet local security, control and resource needs of the establishment.
	In addition, cell searches may also be conducted on an intelligence-led basis or on reasonable suspicion that an item of contraband is secreted within a cell.

Prisons: Drugs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been issued on the procedure to be followed by prison service staff when a sniffer dog makes a positive indication of the presence of illicit drugs on  (a) a visitor,  (b) a contractor,  (c) a prisoner and  (d) a prison officer.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Passive Drug Dog Guidelines, issued to all prisons, recommends that:
	 (a) and  (b) when a passive drug dog indicates against a social visitor or contractor a repeat screen with the dog should be considered. Security staff should then question the visitor/contractor and investigate whether any further intelligence or evidence exists. If no further information exists, the visit can proceed but in closed conditions or the visitor can leave the prison. The prison's police intelligence officer should also be informed. If no further information exists on a contractor, they can be permitted entry to the prison. If further evidence and/or intelligence exists, depending on its nature, the visitor/contractor may be full (strip) searched and/or the police may be called;
	 (c) when a passive drug dog indicates against a prisoner the prisoner should be full (strip) searched. If no substance is found the prisoner should be required to undergo a suspicion mandatory drug test. The prisoner's cell should also be searched. If drugs are found the prisoner should be referred to the prison adjudication system. If drug finds are substantial, indicating intent to supply, the police may be called. Other evidence and intelligence will also be considered following which further administrative action may be taken;
	 (d) when a passive drug dog indicates against a member of prison staff the member of staff should be given a rub down search and asked to complete a questionnaire inquiring whether there is any reason why they may have come into contact with drugs. The member of staff should only proceed once all the information is verified. If drugs are found the police should be called.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what progress he has made in  (a) trialling and  (b) evaluating disruption technologies for mobile telephones in prisons;
	(2)  in which prisons mobile telephone signal blockers are in operation.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service is trialling a variety of technologies in a number of establishments in support of our strategy to minimise the number of mobile phones entering prisons; find mobile phones that are smuggled into prisons; and disrupt mobile phones that we cannot find. For security reasons, it is not appropriate to disclose the location of these trials.
	This is a challenging area of work where we are working closely with mobile network operators and Ofcom where appropriate to ensure full evaluation of the pilots.

Probation: Per Capita Costs

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what factors are taken into account in calculating the cost of individual probation supervision;
	(2)  what factors are taken into account in calculating the estimated cost of probation supervision of an individual  (a) with a condition and  (b) without a condition.

Maria Eagle: The supervision requirement is one of 12 requirements of a community order. The factors taken into account when costing the supervision requirement are:
	offender tier (there are four tiers in the National Offender Management Model describing different case management approaches and map against different resource levels and offender manager competences);
	the length of the offender's sentence;
	the offender's gender;
	the grade of staff working with the offender; and
	the time taken by staff to deliver the supervision requirement, which includes meetings with the offender, liaison with providers of specialist advice and feeding back to the offender manager. The level of engagement is primarily dependent on the tier of the offender.
	Costs estimated using this bottom up process are not the full costs since they do not include overheads. Full costs of the supervision requirement will be collected and published in order to benchmark the whole of the probation system by the end of 2011.

Probation: Sex Offender Treatment Programme

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of probation supervision of an individual with a sex offender programme attachment was in the latest year for which information is available.

Maria Eagle: The funding for the supervision of offenders and the delivery of sex offender programmes in the community is part of the general grant given to probation areas or trusts. The costs will vary and depend on a number of factors including the risk presented by the individual, the level of supervision required, the programme the individual attends, and the arrangements for delivery in the particular area. It is not possible to accurately disaggregate the cost of this work.
	Full costs of probation services will be collected and published to benchmark the whole of the probation system by the end of 2011.

Public Opinion

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on  (a) focus groups and  (b) other deliberative forms of public opinion research in each month of the last two years.

Jack Straw: Monthly data on the amount spent on focus groups and other forms of deliberative public opinion research could currently be provided only at disproportionate cost as the information requested on expenditure is not held centrally. However, a search of local records has identified a number of projects undertaken in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years where focus groups were used, the expenditure on which is provided as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: Focus Groups: Ministry of Justice 
			   £ 
			 2008-09 435,218 
			 2009-10 53,039 
		
	
	Figures in the table above are estimates including VAT and are based on a collation of local returns as no central records are available. They exclude any focus groups run by NDPBs.
	With regard to deliberative research, between October 2009 and February 2010, the Ministry of Justice held a series of deliberative events on Identity, Values and a possible Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. It is not possible to finalise the actual costs at this stage, however, it is anticipated that this will come to less than £1 million in total.

Rehabilitation Centres: Young People

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many intensive fostering places are available under the Youth Rehabilitation Order in each youth offending team area; what the average cost per place is; and whether he plans to increase the number of places available under that Order.

Maria Eagle: Intensive fostering is being piloted by the Youth Justice Board and 25 places are currently available in the youth offending teams (YOTs) that are taking part in the pilot. There are 10 places in Wessex, six in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, three in Trafford and six across London.
	The cost of a placement currently ranges between £2,220 to £2,385 a week. A further six places will be provided in 2010-11, four in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough YOTs and two in Derby City YOT. Extension of intensive fostering more widely will be subject to future spending reviews.

Unpaid Work

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of supervising a person on unpaid work for  (a) 160 hours and  (b) 240 hours was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The funding for the supervision of offenders sentenced to unpaid work is part of the general grant provided to probation areas. The actual costs will vary between areas and according to the type of work placement.
	The National Offender Management Service Specification Benchmarking and Costing Programme, has produced a service specification for unpaid work/Community Payback based on an assumed operating model. This will enable more accurate calculations of costs and is currently being employed by probation areas and directors of Offender Management to assess Community Payback as part of a best value exercise.
	The service specification for unpaid work/Community Payback calculates the cost of commencement, including risk assessment and offender induction during the first two hours of the sentence at £82.40. For an offender attending a weekday work group in an urban area, the ongoing cost is calculated to be £8.83 an hour. The cost of a 160 hour sentence is therefore £1,477.54 and the cost of a 240 hour sentence is £2,183.94. These calculations do not include indirect costs such as premises, which will vary between probation areas. The hourly cost of Community Payback work at agency placements, where supervision is undertaken by the organisation benefiting from the work is less costly, while operating work groups at weekends and in remote locations is proportionally more costly.

Young Offenders

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders in each youth offending team area have been remanded in custody in each of the last six months.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of young people in each youth offending team area have been remanded in custody in each of the six months July-December 2009. Separate figures are given for young people remanded pending and during trial, those committed for sentencing and young people remanded to the care of a local authority with a secure requirement.
	The data, which will be placed in the Library, have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. Differences in counting rules may mean that figures from other databases are not directly comparable.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many modern apprenticeships were started in Salford in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008-09.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in Salford parliamentary constituency, Eccles parliamentary constituency, Worsley parliamentary constituency and Salford local authority from academic year 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable data are available. Salford is made up of Salford and Eccles parliamentary constituencies and part of Worsley parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts for Salford parliamentary constituency and Salford local authority, 2003/04 to 2008/09 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 Salford parliamentary constituency 330 340 310 340 310 340 
			 Eccles parliamentary constituency 530 570 530 520 540 580 
			 Worsley parliamentary constituency 530 450 450 420 510 450 
			 Salford local authority 1,100 1,200 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,200 
			  Notes: 1. Figures by parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures for Salford local authority are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures include Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships. 4. Salford is made up of Salford and Eccles parliamentary constituencies and part of Worsley parliamentary constituency.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency, local authority, Government office region and for England is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December, and reissued on 21 January to include provisional national estimates of the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements in the first quarter of 2009/10:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09

Departmental Energy

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the estimated  (a) amount and  (b) cost was of energy used in his Department and its agencies in each year since it was established; what proportion of the energy used was generated from renewable sources in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Since the establishment of this Department in June 2009 and up to the end of December 2009, energy usage and costs on our core estate were as follows:
	
		
			   Amount used (KWh)  Costs (£000) 
			 Electricity 6,835,697 824.9 
			 Gas 2,055,014 58.2 
			 Note: Costs are inclusive of VAT which is not reclaimable. 
		
	
	During this period, 76.9 per cent. of our energy was generated from renewable sources.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond directly to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 22 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 9 February 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking about the estimated amount and cost of energy used in the Department and its agencies in each year since it was established and the proportion of the energy used which was generated from renewable sources in each of those years.
	Our records on both the amount and cost of energy usage are based on Financial Years. The National Measurement Office was created on 1st April 2009 when the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) merged with the unit in the then Department for Innovation, Universities  Skills which was responsible for the National Measurement System and that unit relocated to the NWML building in Teddington. Therefore we have information only with respect to the NWML building prior to the merger.
	Over the five years to April 2009, the amount of energy used by NWML at Teddington, expressed as KWh, was:
	
		
			   Electricity  Gas 
			 2004-05 (1)- 799.277 
			 2005-06 (2)113,809 763.356 
			 2006-07 674,357 692,751 
			 2007-08 630,412 710.582 
			 2008-09 619,181 744.977 
			 (1) No reliable figures available. (2) Part year. 
		
	
	Over the last five years our records indicate that the cost of energy to NWML at Teddington was:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity  Gas 
			 2004-05 55,779.38 17,551.23 
			 2005-06 66,796.09 26,730.70 
			 2006-07 10,156.98 23,993.23 
			 2007-08 40,963.17 23,579.51 
			 2008-09 41,396.33 29,409.96 
		
	
	Electricity is supplied via a National Physical Laboratory (NPL) contract. Sub-metering to allow an accurate recharge of electricity costs was introduced in February 2006. The low expenditure figure in 2006-07 reflects the application of 'credits' resulting from settlement of a dispute over electricity charges in earlier years.
	Gas was supplied and invoiced directly to NWML and that continues to be the case with NMO.
	The above costs are inclusive of VAT, any standing charges and climate change levy applied to the invoices.
	Under the NPL electricity contract 5 per cent. of the energy is generated from renewable sources.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 9 February 2010, UIN 317238, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	From June to December 2009, the last month for which figures are available, Companies House has consumed the following amounts of energy:
	
		
			   Amount (kwh)  Cost (£) 
			 Electricity 4,055,664 481,563 
			 Gas 845,403 28,708 
		
	
	Companies House procures green electricity which supports electricity generated from renewable sources under the Government's climate change levy exemption scheme.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 16 February 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 09 February 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Energy usage by the Intellectual Property Office is as follows:
	a) 2,800,817 kwh, at a cost of b) £234,000.
	This usage was between 1st June 2009 (date of establishment of BIS was 5th June 2009) and 31st December 2009. None of the energy used during this period was from renewable sources.
	These figures are a total of the electricity and gas used at the IPO's Concept House and Nine Mile Point sites in South Wales. They exclude the IPO's Bloomsbury Street offices in London where the IPO is billed as part of a maintenance charge.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 17 February 2010:
	The Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2009/1312) asking what was the estimated amount and cost of energy used, and what proportion of that energy was generated from renewable sources, for each year since The Insolvency Service was established.
	Following guidance issued to Departments about this question, the table below gives information for the last five years. We are unable to provide data before that time.
	
		
			   Renewable (Kwh)  Electricity (Kwh)  Electricity cost (£)  Gas Kwh  Gas cost (£) 
			 2004-05 - 2,722,806 228,935 610,187 15,886 
			 2005-06 - 2,777,875 330,981 565,826 18,952 
			 2006-07 - 2,770,868 435,769 389,574 29,172 
			 2007-08 - 2,892,755 453,676 471,518 43,314 
			 2008-09 (1)-6,172 2,336,081 611,936 659,159 12,591 
			 (1 )The figure for renewable energy derives from a photovoltaic roof at our largest building. 
		
	
	Prior to the current year, The Insolvency Service was tied to contracts that did not include the supply of energy from renewable sources. We have now entered into a contract for our largest office which will include 10 per cent. renewable energy for the first year of the contract, with incremental increases thereafter. It is our intention to add further offices to this contract when other existing leases come to an end. It should also be noted that the data supplied in the table above applies to those buildings (approximately 25 per cent. of the estate) where we are billed for energy directly. Those offices where utilities are met through the landlord's service charge are not included.

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) year-end and  (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year.

Patrick McFadden: An element of the BIS overall pay award for staff below the SCS is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award. There are two types of award: in-year bonuses, which consist of special individual performance awards and non-pay rewards that recognise strong performance in particularly demanding tasks for situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. Annual performance awards are paid to members of staff who receive a highly successful performance rating.
	Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	Performance awards for the SCS are part of the pay system across the whole senior civil service, and are used to reward high performance sustained throughout the year, based on judgments of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. The performance related pay scheme is designed to help drive high performance and support better public service delivery. Performance awards are non-consolidated and non-pensionable. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	BIS was formed through a machinery of government change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). DIUS and BERR were themselves created as part of a machinery of government change in June 2007. This means that BIS in its current format did not exist to award performance awards in any of the previous three years.
	The information in the following table has been drawn from various data sources and provides details for both of the former Departments that were merged to create BIS.
	
		
			  Department  Financial year  Number of staff who received in year awards  Total value of in year rewards (£)  Number of staff awarded end of year performance awards  Total value of end of year performance awards (£)  Total value of awards (£) 
			  BERR 2006-07 919 491,669 1,286 2,532,180 3,023,849 
			  2007-08 1,238 693,386 1,065 2,265,502 2,958,888 
			  2008-09 1,218 586,631 971 2,240,592 2,827,223 
			
			  DIUS 2006-07(1) - - - - - 
			  2007-08 273 21,125 24 185,916 207,041 
			  2008-09 201 13,855 213 459,171 473,026 
			 (1) DIUS was not created until 2007   Notes:  1. DIUS was created by a MOG change that occurred in June 2007 and did not exist before this date. The majority of annual performance awards paid to staff in 2007-08 were issued by the Departments that staff had transferred from.  2. In all three years the total value of the performance awards paid was approximately 1.5 per cent. of the total Department's pay bill.

Departmental Travel

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each of his Department's  (a) non-departmental public bodies and  (b) research councils spent on (i) first-class air travel, (ii) first class rail travel, (iii) taxis, (iv) hotel accommodation and (v) other travel and overnight subsistence expenses in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not hold information on its NDPBs' (which includes the Research Councils) travel and subsistence expenses centrally and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Exports: Saudi Arabia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to recruit staff with direct experience of commercial exports to UK Trade and Investment to work on the promotion of exports to Saudi Arabia.

Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is not an employer in its own right. For the majority of its human resource requirements, it draws on the staff employed by one or other of its two parent departments, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (mainly in the UK) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (mainly overseas).
	UKTI staff in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, together with those promoting business with Saudi Arabia in London, are BIS or FCO employees. In addition, locally engaged staff are employed by UKTI in Saudi Arabia, many of whom come from a commercial background, to assist UK firms access the opportunities available in the market. UKTI has also appointed two specialists from the private sector to help British companies to win business stemming from the Saudi Arabian Government's fiscal stimulus programme.

London Metropolitan University

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the financial situation of London Metropolitan University; and what his estimate is of likely  (a) student and  (b) staff numbers in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

David Lammy: Assessments of the financial situation of individual institutions are a matter for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the individual institutions.
	Final student and staff numbers for 2009-10 will not be available until these are collected at the end of the academic year by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. HEFCE is discussing with the university, as it does with all institutions, its future plans for student and staff numbers as part of its arrangements for monitoring the financial position of the university.

Maternity Leave

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average length of maternity leave taken by women was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: From April 2007 all employed mothers are entitled to 52 weeks maternity leave, of which 39 may be paid. Employers are not required to record or report the uptake of maternity leave to the Government.
	The most recent estimates of take-up of maternity leave are based on the DWP 'Maternity Rights and Mothers' employment decisions in Britain: Survey of Mothers' (2007). In 2006, when the mothers included in the study went on maternity leave, the statutory entitlement to ordinary maternity leave (OML) was 26 weeks, while mothers who had worked for their employer for a qualifying period of 26 weeks were also entitled to additional maternity leave (AML) of 26 weeks.
	For mothers taking maternity leave in 2006:
	84 per cent. took 26 weeks or more maternity leave;
	35 per cent. took exactly 26 weeks maternity leave;
	46 per cent. of mothers took between 27 and 52 weeks and 3 per cent. were off for more than 52 weeks;
	16 per cent. of mothers took less than the statutory minimum entitlement (i.e. 26 weeks in 2006).
	The next Maternity Rights survey will be based on mothers who took maternity leave starting in summer 2008. It is due to report later in 2010.

Unemployment: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people under 25 years old were not in employment, education or training in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008-09.

Kevin Brennan: Due to small sample sizes, we are unable to provide estimates of the number of young people not in employment, education or training for parliamentary constituency areas.
	The Annual Population survey can provide estimates for local education authorities. The latest Annual Population Survey data available are for 2008. Estimates of people not in employment, education or training are not available prior to 2000 due to data in earlier years being incomplete.
	The number of young people not in employment, education or training in England is published by DCSF every quarter. The latest information can be found here:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000890/NEETQtrBriefQ32009.pdf

Unemployment: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged between 18 and 24 years old and not in employment, education or training there were in Salford constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Kevin Brennan: Due to small sample sizes, we are unable to provide estimates of the number of people not in employment, education or training for parliamentary constituency areas.
	The Annual Population survey can provide estimates for local education authorities, but not for age groups narrower than 16-24. The latest Annual Population Survey data available are for 2008. Estimates of people not in employment, education or training are not available prior to 2000 due to data in earlier years being incomplete.
	The number of young people not in employment, education or training in England is published by DCSF every quarter. The latest information can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000890/NEETQtrBriefQ32009.pdf

Vocational Training: Tax Allowances

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will discuss with the Chancellor of the Exchequer the provision of tax  (a) discounts or  (b) credits for those required to pay for their own training.

Kevin Brennan: It is important that we target investment in education and training as efficiently and effectively as possible. Targeting through the tax system may result in supporting learning that would have taken place in any event.
	We believe providing entitlements for every adult to receive training towards a first full level 2 qualification and for young people (up to age 25) to receive training for a first full level 3 qualification is a more efficient way of supporting individuals that otherwise would not have engaged in training. Evidence shows that this training is often more effective when delivered in the work place. This is why we have developed our flagship Train to Gain programme, which, since its inception in 2006 has helped people to start 1.54 million qualifications.
	It is also why we are expanding the apprenticeship system to build a new technician class for the higher level jobs of the future, almost doubling the number of advanced and higher apprenticeships places for 19 to 30-year-olds.

Working Hours: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of those resident in Salford constituency have received a reduction in their working hours since the introduction of a maximum length of working week of 48 hours.

Patrick McFadden: The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right to refuse to work more than 48 hours on average, if they do not want to. It is not possible to estimate how many residents have received a reduction in their working hours as a result of the introduction of a maximum length of the working week to 48 hours either at the national level or in Salford constituency.

Young People: Unemployment

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of people in  (a) Lewes constituency and  (b) England aged (i) between 16 and 18 and (ii) between 19 and 24 years old were not in education, employment or training in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of the number and proportion of young people aged 16-18 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) are published annually in the statistical first release (SFR) Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 year olds in England. This publication contains the Department's best estimate of the NEET rate and is the official measure used to measure progress against out target to reduce the proportion of young people NEET by 2 percentage points by the end of 2010. The most recent SFR can be accessed via the Department's website here:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000849/index.shtml
	A time series going back to 1985 is available under Additional Information.
	A comparable measure of NEET for 19-24 year olds is not available. However, the Department publishes NEET Statistics-Quarterly Brief which contains an alternative measure of NEET covering 16-24 year olds. The next issue is due for publication on 25 February, 2010 and will be available via this link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000913/index.shtml
	Estimates of the proportion of young people NEET are not available at parliamentary constituency level. The smallest geographical area for which estimates are available is local authority. These local estimates are derived from data collected by Connexions services and are published on the DCSF 14-19 website and are only available for 16-18 year olds:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19/index.cfm?go=site.homesid=42pid=343lid=337ctype=Textptype=Single
	Connexions local estimates are not directly comparable with the national estimates in the SFR. Figures for West Sussex since 2006, the earliest available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of 16-18 year olds NEET in West Sussex 
			 2006 4.5 
			 2007 4.4 
			 2008 5.4 
		
	
	There are no comparable or robust estimates of the proportion of 19-24 year olds NEET available for local authorities.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from the Charity Commission on the method of achieving charitable status for educational academies and colleges; and what steps he plans to take in response to those representations.

Vernon Coaker: The Department held discussions with the Charity Commission on the way in which academies are registered as charities. As a result of those discussions, I tabled an amendment at Committee stage to remove a clause in the Children, Schools and Families Bill, which would have made changes to those arrangements. A copy of a letter from the chief executive of the Charity Commission and the Permanent Secretary's advice to the Secretary of State has been placed in the Library.

Blaydon

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Blaydon constituency, the effects on Blaydon of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Vernon Coaker: Since 2000 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at key stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Blaydon are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Key stage 2 results of 11-year-old pupils attending schools( 1)  in  Blaydon constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above  2000  2009( 2)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			 Blaydon-English 82 86 4 
			 Blaydon-maths 79 87 8 
			 Blaydon-science 90 93 3 
			 England-English(3) 75 80 5 
			 England-maths(3) 72 79 7 
			 England-science(3) 85 88 3 
			 (1) Local averages include pupils attending all maintained schools (including academies and city technology colleges). (2) Revised data. (3) England averages include pupils attending all maintained schools (including academies and city technology colleges). 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3)  in  Blaydon constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  2000  2009( 4)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			 Blaydon-5+ A*-C 55.8 86.0 30.2 
			 Blaydon-5+ A*-G 92.1 96.5 4.4 
			 England-5+ A*-C(5) 49.2 70.0 20.8 
			 England-5+ A*-G(5) 88.9 92.3 3.4 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004, results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of key stage 4. Prior to 2006, results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Local averages include pupils attending all maintained schools (including academies and city technology colleges) and from 2000 do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) Revised data. (5) England averages also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs. 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil: teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds, number of full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, average A-level point score per candidate and per entry together with percentage of people of working age qualified to at least level 2 and percentage of people of working age qualified to level 4 and above.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Children: Day Care

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) free nursery and  (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Feltham and Heston constituency in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the number of part-time equivalent places filled by three and four year olds in Feltham and Heston constituency from 2004 to 2009.
	The Department publishes information on the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers. Information on the number of pre-school places is not separately available. Part-time equivalent places are derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and two and a half hours per week as 0.2 places. Data at parliamentary constituency level are not available prior to 2004.
	
		
			  Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2, 3 ) filled by three and four-year-olds( 4) :  Parliamentary constituency Feltham and Heston , p osition in January each year 
			   Three-year-olds  Four-year-olds 
			 2004 970 1,400 
			 2005 990 1,300 
			 2006 1,100 1,400 
			 2007 1,100 1,400 
			 2008 1,200 1,400 
			 2009 1,300 1,600 
			 (1) A place is equal to 12.5 hours (five sessions) and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Prior to 2004, information on early education places was derived from returns made by local authorities as part of the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) data collection exercise. These data were collected at local authority level, therefore, data for this parliamentary constituency are not available prior to 2004. (4) Age of all children taken at 31 December in the previous calendar year.  Source: Early Years Census and School Census 
		
	
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 11/2009 Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2009, available on my Department's website
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000848/index.shtml

Children: Social Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has had recent discussions with Gloucestershire county council on its provision of children's services and children's centres.

Dawn Primarolo: As part of its role to both provide challenge and support the Government Office for the South West meets the local authority regularly to discuss children's services.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families' delivery partner supporting the development of Sure Start Children's Centres, Together for Children, regularly liaises with the local authority regarding its children's centres programme.
	The Secretary of State wrote to Gloucestershire local authority on 19 November 2009 regarding the local authority's National Challenge Progress Review.

Children's Centres: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Feltham and Heston constituency attend Sure Start centres.

Dawn Primarolo: The eight designated Sure Start Children's Centres in Feltham and Heston constituency have a combined reach area of over 6,000 children under five and their families. Reach area defines those children and families with the opportunity to access children's centres. Figures for the number of children under five and their families actually attending and using children's centres are not collected centrally.

Classroom Assistants: Lewes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time equivalent teaching assistants there were in schools in Lewes constituency  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: In January 1997 there were 60 full-time equivalent teaching assistants in service in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies in Lewes constituency and 210 in January 2009. The data source is the School Census and the figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Departmental Internet

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009,  Official Report, column 311W, on Google Adword online advertising keywords, for which Google Adword online advertising keywords his Department has paid in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Diana Johnson: The requested information cannot be supplied without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Recruitment

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many job vacancies in his Department and its agencies were filled through external recruitment in the last year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: In the last financial year (2008-09), there were 88 people recruited externally into the DCSF.
	The Department has no agencies.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since its inception.

Diana Johnson: Since the inception of the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 28 June 2007, 176 staff have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days. This applies from the date of establishment of the Department to 31 January 2010 (the latest information available).

Education Maintenance Allowance: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have received the educational maintenance allowance in Hemsworth constituency since its introduction.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoff Russell the LSC's acting chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend from Hemsworth with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Families: Government Assistance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which departments he expects to contribute funds to the Think Family grant in 2010-11; and how much each department will contribute.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 5 February 2010
	 The Think Family Grant for is made up of contributions from DCSF, HO, DH and DCLG. The contributions from individual Departments and associated activity costs in 2010-11 are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Department of Health 2.85 
			 Communities and Local Government 2.5 
			 Home Office 10 
			 Department for Children, Schools and Families 79.8 
		
	
	Contributions are also made at the local level as match funding or in-kind services. Information on this is not held centrally.

Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Feltham and Heston constituency, the effects on that constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997;
	(2)  how many 14 year olds in schools in Feltham and Heston constituency obtained level 5 or above in key stage 3 results in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009;
	(3)  how many 11 year olds in schools in Feltham and Heston constituency obtained level 4 or above in key stage 2 results in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009;
	(4)  how many pupils in schools in Feltham and Heston constituency gained five A* to C GCSEs or equivalent in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at key stage 2, key stage 3 and at GCSE and equivalents in Feltham and Heston are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key s tage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the Feltham and Heston constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above( 1)  1997  2009( 2)  Percentage point improvement 1997  to 20 09 
			 Feltham and Heston-English 53 77 24 
			 Feltham and Heston-maths 47 76 29 
			 Feltham and Heston-science 59 87 28 
			 England-English 63 80 17 
			 England-maths 62 79 17 
			 England-science 68 88 20 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges). (2) Revised data. Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	
		
			  Key  s tage 3 results of 14 year old pupils attending schools in the Feltham and Heston constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 5 and above( 1)  1997  2008( 2)  Percentage point improvement 1997  to  2008 
			 Feltham and Heston-English 39 63 24 
			 Feltham and Heston-maths 40 67 27 
			 Feltham and Heston-science 38 57 19 
			 England-English 57 74 17 
			 England-maths 60 77 17 
			 England-science 60 72 12 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges). (2) Key stage 3 tests were discontinued after 2008.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables and National Pupil Database 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3)  in the Feltham and Heston constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  1997  2009( 5)  Percentage point improvement 1997  to 2 009 
			 Feltham and Heston-5+ A*-C 27.1 72.7 45.6 
			 Feltham and Heston-5+ A*-G 77.6 93.7 16.1 
			 England-5+ A*-C(4) 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 England-5+ A*-G(4) 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of key stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges) and from 2000 does not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) England figures also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs. (5) Revised data.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is available on the Department's In Your Area website:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	The information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational Academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four year olds, number full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, average A level point score per candidate and per entry together with percentage of people of working age qualified to at least level 2 and percentage of people of working age qualified to level 4 and above.
	Additional information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

GCSE

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of pupils in  (a) comprehensive and  (b) maintained schools who achieved at least five grades A* to C at GCSE achieved (i) one or more, (ii) more than one, (iii) more than two, (iv) more than three of those grades in the subjects of business studies, music technology, child development, hairdressing, construction, health and social care, sociology, media, travel and tourism, performing arts, and hospitality and catering, in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what percentage of pupils from current National Challenge schools who achieved at least five grades A* to C at GCSE achieved  (a) one or more,  (b) more than one,  (c) more than two,  (d) more than three of those grades in the subject of business studies, music technology, child development, hairdressing, construction, health and social care, sociology, media, travel and tourism, performing arts, and hospitality and catering, in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in  (a) comprehensive and  (b) independent schools were entered for GCSEs in (i) English literature, (ii) physics, (iii) chemistry, (iv) biology, (v) history and (vi) a foreign language in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The information required is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of pupils entered for GCSEs in selected subjects in comprehensive and independent schools in 2009 
			  Selected subject  Comprehensive school  Independent school 
			 English Literature 405,303 36,839 
			 Physics 53,532 15,028 
			 Chemistry 53,654 15,671 
			 Biological Sciences 56,884 16,435 
			 History 155,610 23,248 
			 A Modern Foreign Language 211,689 39,225 
			  Source:  Achievement and Attainment Tables. 
		
	
	The data relates to pupils at the end of key stage 4.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students resident in  (a) Knowsley,  (b) Sandwell,  (c) Lambeth and  (d) England achieved (i) five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics, excluding equivalents, (ii) at least one grade C at GCSE, excluding equivalents and (iii) three A grades at A-level (A) in 1997 and (B) in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested for the academic years 2004/05 and 2008/09 for GCSEs and for the academic years 2005/06 and 2008/09 for A Levels is in the following tables.
	Previous years' data can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  GCSE achievements of students( 1)  resident in Knowsley, Sandwell and Lambeth local authorities( 2)  and England( 3)  at the end of key stage 4( 4) , 2004/05 and 2008/09 
			Total number of students  Percentage who achieved five or more GCSEs including English and mathematics at grade A* - C excluding equivalents  Percentage who achieved at least one GCSE pass at grade C or above excluding equivalents 
			 2004/05 Knowsley 2,314 28.3 66.9 
			  Sandwell 3,915 29.3 64.9 
			  Lambeth 2,257 33.6 74.0 
			  England(3) 583,930 41.7 75.3 
			  
			 2008/09 Knowsley 2,066 35.9 70.9 
			  Sandwell 3,901 34.7 71.8 
			  Lambeth 2,217 45.8 83.7 
			  England(3) 578,629 47.8 80.1 
			 (1) Students attending maintained schools only including City Technology colleges and academies. (2) Excludes students whose area of residency is unknown due to missing or invalid postcode information. (3) England figure includes students known to be resident in England or with a missing or invalid postcode. (4) Based on students at the end of key stage 4 in the relevant academic year.  Source: National Pupil Database (2004/05 final data, 2008/09 amended data) 
		
	
	
		
			  A Level achievements of students( 1, 2)  resident in Knowsley, Sandwel l and Lambeth local authorities( 3)  and England( 4) , 2005/06 and 2008/09 
			Total number of students  Percentage who achieved three A grades at A Level( 5) 
			 2005/06 Knowsley 259 5.0 
			  Sandwell 547 4.4 
			  Lambeth 396 8.3 
			  England(4) 140,742 8.9 
			 
			 2008/09 Knowsley 272 5.5 
			  Sandwell 707 4.8 
			  Lambeth 438 7.8 
			  England(4) 146,150 10.5 
			 (1) 16-18 year old candidates entered for GCE/Applied GCE A Levels and Double Awards in 2008/09 and GCE/VCE A Level and VCE Double Awards in 2005/06. (2) Students attending maintained schools only including City Technology colleges and academies. (3) Excludes students whose area of residency is unknown due to missing or invalid postcode information. (4) England figure includes students known to be resident in England or with a missing or invalid postcode. (5) Includes GCE/Applied GCE A Level and Double Awards in 2008/09 and GCEA/CE A Level and VCE Double Awards in 2005/06.  Source: National Pupil Database (2005/06 final data, 2008/09 amended data)

GCSE: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of children in Salford schools obtained five GCSEs at grades A* to C in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009;
	(2)  what percentage of pupils in Salford obtained five A* to C grades at GCSE in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: Of all 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools in Salford, 30.7 per cent. achieved five or more GCSE/GNVQs at grades A*-C in 1997.
	Of all pupils at the end of KS4 in maintained schools in Salford, 73.4 per cent. achieved five or more GCSE or equivalents at grades A*-C in 2009.

GCSE: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in Salford obtained five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Vernon Coaker: Of all 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools in Salford, 20.1 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSE/GNVQ at grades A*-C including English and mathematics in 1997.
	Of all pupils at the end of KS4 in maintained schools in Salford, 45.8 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSE or equivalents at grades A* -C including English and mathematics in 2009.

Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Hemsworth constituency, the effects on Hemsworth of his Department's policies and actions since 2000.

Vernon Coaker: Since 2000 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Hemsworth are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11-year-old pupils attending schools in the Hemsworth constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining Level 4 and above( 1)  2000  2009( 2)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			  Hemsworth
			 English 57 74 17 
			 Maths 63 75 12 
			 Science 60 73 13 
			 
			  England
			 English 75 80 5 
			 Maths 72 79 7 
			 Science 85 88 3 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools including Academies and City Technology Colleges. (2) Revised data.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables. 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3 ) in the Hemsworth constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  2000  2009( 4)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			  Hemsworth
			 5+ A*-C 46.3 74.6 28.3 
			 5+ A*-G 93.4 93.0 -0.4 
			 
			  England
			 5+ A*-C(5) 49.2 70.0 20.8 
			 5+ A*-G(5) 88.9 92.3 3.4 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including academies and city technology colleges) and from 2000 does not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) Revised data. (5) England figures also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds, number full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, average A-level point score per candidate and per entry together with percentage of people of working age qualified to at least Level 2 and percentage of people of working age qualified to Level 4 and above.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Learning Disability: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children resident in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have been diagnosed with a learning disability in each year since 2003.

Vernon Coaker: Information about pupils' type of Special Educational Need was first collected in the School Census in 2004. Of the 12 types of need identified four specifically mention learning difficulties and are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of resident pupils( 1,2)  with l earning  d ifficulties 
			  Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Moderate Learning Difficulty 1,230 1,290 1,160 1,250 1,500 1,600 
			 Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty 10 10 10 20 40 40 
			 Severe Learning Difficulty 150 150 150 140 120 130 
			 Specific Learning Difficulty 170 170 190 190 160 160 
			 Total 1,550 1,620 1,510 1,600 1,820 1,920 
			 (1) Information on primary need is only collected for pupils at School Action Plus and those with a statement of SEN. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Milton Keynes, the effects on Milton Keynes of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at key stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in North-East Milton Keynes are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key stage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the North-East Milton Keynes constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above( 1)  1997  2009( 2)  Percentage point improvement 1997 to 2009 
			  North-East Milton Keynes
			 English 65 80 15 
			 Maths 60 78 18 
			 Science 71 88 17 
			 
			  England
			 English 63 80 17 
			 Maths 62 79 17 
			 Science 68 88 20 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges). (2) Revised data.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3)  in the North-East Milton Keynes constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining :  1997  2009( 5)  Percentage point improvement 1997 to 2009 
			  North-East Milton Keynes
			 5+ A*-C 48.2 69.5 21.3 
			 5+ A*-G 93.6 96.5 2.9 
			 
			  England
			 5+ A*-C(4) 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 5+ A*-G(4) 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of key stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges) and from 2000 does not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) England figures also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs. (5) Revised data.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational Academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil: teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds, number full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, average A level point score per candidate and per entry together with percentage of people of working age qualified to at least Level 2 and percentage of people of working age qualified to Level 4 and above.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which non-departmental public bodies have received funding from his Department in each year since its inception; and how much was paid to each in each such year.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 9 February 2010
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was created on 28 June 2007. The following table shows the amounts paid to the Department's non-departmental public bodies as grant in aid for financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09. This information is drawn from the Department's published resource accounts. Information for 2009-10 will not be available until the resource accounts are published in July.
	
		
			  Grant in aid to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) 
			  £000 
			   2008-09  2007-08 
			 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency(BECTA) 61,285 37,172 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) 113,874 106,450 
			 Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC)(1) 71,931 - 
			 National College for School Leadership (NCSL) 107,643 83,305 
			 Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) (also known as 11 Million) 2,907 2,663 
			 Partnerships for Schools (PfS) 9,292 6,931 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) 143,890 157,369 
			 School Food Trust (SFT) 10,666 7,738 
			 Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) 738,222 777,313 
			
			 Payment to DIUS for DCSF programmes delivered by the LSC(2) 7,384,652 7,052,258 
			
			 Grant in aid 8,644,362 8,231,199 
			 (1) The Children's Workforce Development Council became an NDPB from 1 April 2008. (2) The Department for Innovation and Skills (DIUS) has now become the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is an NDPB funded jointly by BIS and DCSF.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it a requirement that emergency life support skills are included in the compulsory Personal, Health, Social and Economic curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: Children and young people already learn about emergency life support skills as part of Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education. They learn about where and how to obtain health information, how to recognise and follow health and safety procedures, ways of reducing risk and minimising harm in risky situations, how to find sources of emergency help and how to use basic and emergency first aid.
	Basic and emergency aid will continue to be part of statutory PSHE when it is introduced in schools in September 2011.

Pupil Exclusions: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been permanently excluded from  (a) primary,  (b) middle,  (c) upper and  (d) secondary schools in Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information requested is shown in the table.
	From 2002, the Department has carried out a checking exercise to confirm the overall number of permanent exclusions. However, this only confirms the number of exclusions in each local authority area and not at school level. Therefore information for middle and upper schools are not separately identifiable.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number of pupil enrolments( 2)  with permanent exclusions, 1996/97 to 2007/08, Suffolk local authority 
			   Primary( 1)  State-funded secondary schools( 1, 3) 
			   Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of the school population( 4)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of the school population( 4) 
			 1996/97 10 0.03 100 0.20 
			 1998/99 10 0.03 100 0.21 
			 1997/98 20 0.04 110 0.21 
			 1999/2000 20 0.05 80 0.15 
			 2000/01 10 0.03 130 0.25 
			 2001/02 30 0.05 140 0.25 
			 2002/03(5) 20 0.05 130 0.23 
			 2003/04(5) 30 0.07 160 0.30 
			 2004/05(5) 20 0.04 130 0.23 
			 2005/06(5) 10 0.02 80 0.14 
			 2006/07(5) 10 0.01 60 0.11 
			 2007/08(5) 10 0.01 80 0.15 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed (upper schools are included in state-funded secondary schools).  (2) Pupils may be counted more than once if they were registered at more than one school or moved schools during the school year.  (3 )State-funded secondary schools include maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies. Suffolk local authority has no city technology colleges or academies.  (4) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year for the relevant school type.  (5 )Estimates based on local authority figures following a checking exercise to confirm the overall number of permanent exclusions in each local authority.   Note:  Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Termly Exclusions Survey and School Census.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent per child on  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Greater London and (ii) Romford in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Department allocates education funding to local authorities so the requested information for Greater London and Romford constituency is not available. The available information on how much was spent per child in primary and secondary schools in Havering and Greater London is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2008-09 
			   Primary education  Secondary education 
			 England 3,780 4,890 
			 Greater London 4,470 5,820 
			 Havering 3,645 5,144 
			  Notes: 1. School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. 2. The calculation for 2002-03 onwards is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001-02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses. In 2001-02 this accounted for approximately £70 per pupil. From 2002-03 onwards only the schools element of these categories is included and this accounted for approximately £50 per pupil of the 2002-03 total. Also, for some LAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LA part of the form from 2002-03, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources. 3. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 and are in Cash Terms.

Sandwell

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the borough of Sandwell, the effects on that borough of changes to the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Sandwell local authority are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11-year-old pupils attending schools in the Sandwell local authority 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above( 1)  1997  2009( 2)  Percentage point improvement 1997  to  2009 
			  Sandwell LA
			 English 52 76 24 
			 Maths 46 75 29 
			 Science 51 85 34 
			 
			  England
			 English 63 80 17 
			 Maths 62 79 17 
			 Science 68 88 20 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges). (2) Revised data.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3)  in the Sandwell local authority 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  1997  2009( 4)  Percentage point improvement 1997  to  2009 
			  Sandwell LA
			 5+ A*-C 26.9 66.1 39.2 
			 5+ A*-G 80.2 90.7 10.5 
			 
			  England
			 5+ A*-C(5) 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 5+ A*-G(5) 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges) and from 2000 does not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) Revised data. (5) England figures also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	Other relevant statistical evidence relating to Sandwell local authority includes:
	Infant Class sizes-the number of children at Key Stage 1 (including reception) in primary schools, taught by one teacher in classes over 30 has fallen from 4,423 in 1997 to 62 in 2009.
	School workforce-an extra 750 teaching assistants and 1,430 more support staff than in 1997.
	Early education places-the number of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers has risen from 7,025 in 1997 to 7,465 in 2009.
	Further information about Sandwell local authority is available on the Department's In Your Area website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	and also on the Department's research and statistics website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent repairing schools in Feltham and Heston constituency in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Figures are not available for the parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston as data are collected at a local authority level.
	Repairs to capital assets which bring them back to their original state are classified as a revenue cost, for which capital allocations cannot be used. Expenditure on capital assets which improves them further, including additions, is classified as a capital cost for which capital or revenue allocations can be used.
	The available information on how much has been spent repairing schools in Hounslow local authority is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  School based expenditure on repair and maintenance of buildings in Hounslow local authority from 1999-2000 to 2008-09 
			  £ 
			   Hounslow  England 
			 1999-2000 2,706,000 631,994,000 
			 2000-01 2,934,000 670,942,000 
			 2001-02 3,695,000 729,882,000 
			 2002-03 4,129,000 503,199,000 
			 2003-04 3,138,000 501,233,000 
			 2004-05 3,198,000 550,301,000 
			 2005-06 3,921,000 608,386,000 
			 2006-07 3,959,000 645,680,000 
			 2007-08 5,115,000 731,938,000 
			 2008-09 5,067,000 738,599,000 
			  Notes: 1. Financial information used in this answer are taken from the DCSF section 52 collection. 2. All expenditure on non-capital building works, including repairs and maintenance of buildings, and non-capital expenditure on fixed plant and grounds. 3. Building maintenance and improvement, including: Charges by contractors for internal and external repair, maintenance and improvement to buildings and fixed plant including costs of labour and materials; Related professional and technical services, including labour costs where supplied as part of the contract/service; Costs of materials and equipment used by directly employed staff for internal and external repair, maintenance and improvement to buildings and fixed plant; Fixtures and fittings e.g. carpet, curtains, etc. 4. Figures rounded to nearest £1,000. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 8 February 2010. 
		
	
	Capital allocations to Hounslow local authority for each year since 1997-98, which includes Feltham and Heston, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 3.8 
			 1998-99 4.6 
			 1999-2000 4.0 
			 2000-01 7.1 
			 2001-02 6.2 
			 2002-03 9.7 
			 2003-04 38.7 
			 2004-05 11.9 
			 2005-06 10.7 
			 2006-07 12.0 
			 2007-08 14.6 
			 2008-09 16.9 
			 2009-10 30.3 
			 2010-11 22.3 
			  Notes: 1. The allocations in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 includes £2.5 million, £3.5 million and £8.5 million respectively, which form part of the £20 million re-development of Heston School. 2. The allocations in 2009-10 and 2010-11 include £3.5 million and £8.5 million respectively for the new Primary Capital programme.

Schools: Feltham

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much per pupil has been spent on schools in Feltham and Heston constituency in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Figures are not available for the parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston as data is collected at a local authority level. The available information on how much has been spent per pupil in Hounslow local authority is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  School based expenditure per pupil from 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			England  Hounslow 
			 1997-98 Pre-Primary and Primary Education 1,740 2,060 
			  Secondary Education 2,360 2,670 
			  Special Schools 9,830 11,920 
			  Total (including Pre-primary) 2,080 2,430 
			 1998-99 Pre-Primary and Primary Education 1,870 2,240 
			  Secondary Education 2,450 2,750 
			  Special Schools 10,110 11,740 
			  Total (including Pre-primary) 2,190 2,560 
			 1999-2000 Primary Education 2,010 2,340 
			  Pre-Primary and Primary Education 2,050 2,380 
			  Secondary Education 2,610 2,770 
			  Special Schools 10,900 11,610 
			  Total (including Pre-primary) 2,390 2,670 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 2,370 2,640 
			 2000-01 Primary Education 2,210 2,470 
			  Pre-Primary and Primary Education 2,280 2,530 
			  Secondary Education 2,830 3,070 
			  Special Schools 11,860 12,890 
			  Total (including Pre-primary) 2,620 2,900 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 2,590 2,870 
			 2001-02 Primary Education 2,480 2,820 
			  Pre-Primary and Primary Education 2,570 2,880 
			  Secondary Education 3,150 3,410 
			  Special Schools 13,030 14,380 
			  Total (including Pre-primary) 2,940 3,260 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 2,900 3,220 
			 2002-03 Primary Education 2,530 2,840 
			  Secondary Education 3,230 3,740 
			  Special Schools 12,820 14,760 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 2,950 3,400 
			 2003-04 Primary Education 2,750 3,060 
			  Secondary Education 3,550 4,040 
			  Special Schools 14,050 15,670 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 3,230 3,680 
			 2004-05 Primary Education 2,910 3,160 
			  Secondary Education 3,800 4,380 
			  Special Schools 15,110 16,790 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 3,450 3,890 
			 2005-06 Primary Education 3,150 3,440 
			  Secondary Education 4,070 4,700 
			  Special Schools 16,430 17,810 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 3,720 4,200 
			 2006-07 Primary Education 3,360 3,630 
			  Secondary Education 4,320 4,880 
			  Special Schools 17,480 18,940 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 3,950 4,400 
			 2007-08 Primary Education 3,580 3,910 
			  Secondary Education 4,620 5,190 
			  Special Schools 18,650 20,470 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 4,210 4,700 
			 2008-09 Primary Education 3,780 4,150 
			  Secondary Education 4,890 5,490 
			  Special Schools 19,790 20,990 
			  Total (excluding Pre-primary) 4,460 4,970 
			  Notes: 1. The financial information used in the answer is taken from CLG's RO1 collection (1997-98 to 1998-99) and from the DCSF S52 collection (1999-2000 onwards). 2. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the dotted line. From 2002-03 school based expenditure is taken from Section 52 Outturn Table A. 3. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DCSF Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 4. The 1999-2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance. Consequently Las where there entire pupil provision were educated in GM schools will show a unit cost of zero prior to 1999-2000. 5. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999-2000. 6. School based expenditure in LA maintained nursery schools was not recorded in 2002-03 and comparable figures are not available for 2003-04 onwards. 7. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 8 February 2010.

Schools: Health Hazards

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides to schools on the effects on children's health of mobile telephones.

Diana Johnson: We have made available for schools the precautionary advice of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones together with clarifications obtained by the Chief Medical Officer. These confirm that children less than 16 years of age should be discouraged from using mobiles phones for non-essential calls since they are more likely than adults to be vulnerable to any unrecognised health risks.

Schools: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on repairs to schools in Hemsworth in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Repairs which bring schools back to their original state constitute a revenue expense, and are paid out of revenue funding. Repairs which amount to capital improvement, such as a better insulation are payable from capital allocations.
	School-based expenditure on repairs and maintenance of buildings in Wakefield local authority, as reported by the local authority, is set out in the following table. Information is not collected in respect of Hemsworth.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1999-2000 7.1 
			 2000-01 8.8 
			 2001-02 3.9 
			 2002-03 3.9 
			 2003-04 4.1 
			 2004-05 4.6 
			 2005-06 4.7 
			 2006-07 5.3 
			 2007-08 6.5 
			 2008-09 5.8 
		
	
	School capital allocations are not made directly to Hemsworth, but to Wakefield local authority. Allocations by the Department to Wakefield during the period of 1997-98 to 2009-11 are £222.6 million.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 5.2 
			 1998-99 7.9 
			 1999-2000 7.4 
			 2000-01 13.4 
			 2001-02 13.7 
			 2002-03 17.3 
			 2003-04 20.6 
			 2004-05 19.4 
			 2005-06 21.2 
			 2006-07 16.7 
			 2007-08 15.7 
			 2008-09 15.0 
			 2009-10 25.8 
			 2010-11 23.3

Schools: Sports

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to increase provision of sport in schools in Coventry.

Iain Wright: The Department funds a national network of 450 School Sport Partnerships to increase the quality and quantity of PE and Sport in schools.
	The following table sets out the amount of funding that schools in Coventry have received over the last five years to undertake this work.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005/06 618,620 
			 2006/07 867,792 
			 2007/08 803,751 
			 2008/09 914,060 
			 2009/10 925,602 
			 Total 4,129,825

Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many serious case reviews have been outstanding for more than one year.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 5 February 2010
	The Department does not collate this information centrally.
	Chapter 8 of the statutory guidance, 'Working Together to Safeguard Children', published in December 2009, states that serious case reviews should be completed within six months from the date of the decision to proceed.
	Ofsted has responsibility for evaluating all serious case reviews and considers the timeliness of their completion as part of that process. The second Ofsted report on serious case reviews, 'Learning Lessons from Serious Case Reviews: Year 2', published in October 2009, noted that Serious case reviews are generally being carried out more speedily but that 56 reviews took between one year and two years. The report went on to note that the time taken did not automatically determine the quality of the review and in some instances delays led to improvements in quality, for example as a result of the effective scrutiny of overview panels returning inadequate individual management reviews. It went on to state that longer timescales raised questions about the effectiveness of the reviews in identifying lessons to be learnt quickly enough and thus making a difference in practice.
	Chapter 8 of the statutory guidance, 'Working Together To Safeguard Children' is clear that where lessons are able to be identified they should be acted upon as quickly as possible.

Social Services: Doncaster

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report, column 302W, on social services: Doncaster, with whom meetings were held on each visit listed; and what topics were discussed at each such meeting.

Diana Johnson: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Name  Date(s) of visit  Place(s) of visit/ meetings held  Topic discussed/purpose of visit 
			 Charles Clarke 5 May 2004 Doncaster College Not recorded 
			  9 November 2004 Youth Offenders Unit Not recorded 
			 
			 Stephen Twigg 22 September 2004 Barnby Dun and Hexthorpe Primary Schools Not recorded 
			 
			 Lord Filkin 28 January 2005 Prison Officers Association Learning Centre To open the new Learning Centre 
			 
			 Lord Adonis 15 July 2005 Thorne Grammar School Not recorded 
			  25 April 2007 Mayor Martin Winter Not recorded 
			 
			 Ed Balls 13 July 2007 Scawthorpe Castle Hills Primary School and Scawsby Rosedale Primary School Flood recovery discussions 
			  12 September 2008 Relate HQ To learn more about Relate's work. 
			 
			 Jim Knight 4 June 2008 Serlby Park School To promote The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment. 
			   Toll Bar Primary School The involvement and support of 2012 Olympics and Impact of flooding on the school 
			   Campsmount Technology College To learn more about the work done in fostering greater parental engagement 
		
	
	With reference to the answer of 2 February 2010,  Official Report , column 302W we incorrectly stated that Ruth Kelly visited Doncaster on 5 May and 9 November 2004. This was in fact Charles Clarke.

Social Services: Kirklees

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to  (a) receive and  (b) publish the executive summary of the serious case review into the Karen Matthews case in Kirklees.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 February 2010
	Preparation of serious case reviews and publication of related executive summaries are matters for Local Safeguarding Children Boards, acting in accordance with statutory guidance. I understand that the Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board has undertaken a serious case review into the case mentioned and will publish the executive summary as soon as it is able.

Special Educational Needs: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children with special educational needs in Suffolk have been educated outside that county in each year since 1997; and what the cost was to the local education authority of that provision.

Diana Johnson: It is not possible to provide all of the information requested on pupil numbers and costs as it would involve disproportionate costs. Table 1 provides information on the amount spent by Suffolk local authority on fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad in the financial years 2000-01 to 2009-10. Information for earlier years is not available. Table 2 provides the number of pupils from Suffolk local authority educated in non-maintained special schools for the years 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Residency information for pupils attending independent schools is not collected. Information for years prior to 2003 is not available on a comparable basis.
	
		
			  Table 1: S52 Budget 2001-02 to 2009-10, Table 1 data as reported by local authorities, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad( 1) , Suffolk 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 3,794,410 
			 2001-02 3,993,310 
			 2002-03 4,387,950 
			 2003-04 5,711,070 
			 2004-05 6,077,850 
			 2005-06 6,160,690 
			 2006-07 6,390,000 
			 2007-08 6,551,210 
			 2008-09 6,902,410 
			 2009-10 7,037,780 
			 (1) Funding for schools outside of authority control. Therefore, this may be outside the geography of the LA or within the geographical boundary in the independent sector.  Note: Figures are rounded to nearest £10. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of pupils from Suffolk local authority educated in non-maintained special schools for the years 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 
			Number of pupils with a statement of SEN educated outside the resident local authority 
			   Resident l ocal a uthority  2003  2007  2008  2009 
			 935 Suffolk 82 72 69 72

Stress

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice issued to staff of his Department on stress recognition and management.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families is committed to creating a healthy and safe working environment for all its employees. Effective stress recognition, prevention and management, in line with the Health and Safety Management Standards, are important elements of this commitment. The Department will place a copy of the advice and guidance issued to staff in the Libraries.

Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Mid Sussex constituency, the effects on Mid Sussex of the policies and actions of his Department and its predecessors since 2000.

Vernon Coaker: Since 2000 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Mid Sussex are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11-year-old pupils attending schools in the Mid Sussex constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above  2000  2009( 1)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			  Mid-Sussex
			 English(2) 83 85 2 
			 Maths(2) 82 85 3 
			 Science(2) 94 92 -2 
			 
			  England
			 English(3) 75 80 5 
			 Maths(3) 72 79 7 
			 Science(3) 85 88 3 
			 (1) Revised data. (2) Pupils attending schools in Mid Sussex constituency. (3) The average for all schools in England.  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools in the Mid Sussex constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining :  2000  2009( 3)  Percentage point improvement 2000-09 
			  Mid Sussex( 4)
			 5+ A*-C 65.6 71.9 6.3 
			 5+ A*-G 93.7 95.8 2.1 
			 
			  National Average
			 5+ A*-C 49.2 70.0 20.8 
			 5+ A*-G 88.9 92.3 3.4 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Revised data. (4) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on all maintained schools (including City Technology Colleges and, from 2003, Academies).  Source: School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	Information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational Academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds, number full time and part time entrants to Higher Education Institutions aged 18 to 20, average A level point score per candidate and per entry together with Percentage of People of Working Age Qualified to at least Level 2 and Percentage of People of Working Age Qualified to Level 4 and above.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Truancy: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) boys and  (b) girls who were eligible for free school meals were classified as persistent absentees in 2006-07.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 29 January 2010
	The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) : Number and proportion of persistent absentees( 4)  by free school meal eligibility 2006-07 in England 
			   Pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees  Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees (percentage)( 6)  Pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees  Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees (percentage)( 6)  All pupil enrolments classified as persistent absentees( 7)  Proportion of pupil enrolments classified as absentees (percentage)( 6) 
			 Boys(5) 49,210 9.3 86,100 3.1 138,250 4.1 
			 Girls(5) 46,560 9.2 85,910 3.3 134,710 4.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate. (5) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until 25 May 2007. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once. (6) The number of persistent absentee enrolments expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments with the same characteristics. (7) Includes pupils for whom characteristic data were missing or unclassified.  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census

Truancy: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of white British  (a) boys and  (b) girls who were eligible for free school meals were classified as persistent absentees in 2006-07.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 29 January 2010
	 The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) : Number and proportion of persistent absentees( 4)  by free school meal eligibility 2006/07, in England 
			   White British( 5) 
			   Pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees  Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees( 6)  Pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees  Proportion of pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees( 6)  All pupil enrolments classified as persistent absentees  Proportion of pupil enrolments classified as absentees( 6) 
			 Boys 37,970 11.0 69,250 3.1 107,210 4.2 
			 Girls 36,240 11.0 70,420 3.3 106,660 4.3 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate. (5) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until 25 May 2007. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once. (6) The number of persistent absentee enrolments expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments with the same characteristics.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Truancy: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the unauthorised absence rate was for pupils in Leeds local authority area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 8 February 2010
	The available information is shown in the table. To provide information for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) : percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence 1996/97 to 2007/08( 4) - Leeds local authority 
			   Percentage( 5) 
			 1996/97 1.22 
			 1999/2000 1.17 
			 2003/04 1.14 
			 2006/07 1.59 
			 2007/08 1.48 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Figures prior to 2006/07 have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from the School Census. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Source: Absence in Schools Survey and School Census(4)

Truancy: West Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the unauthorised absence rate was for pupils in  (a) Mid Sussex constituency and  (b) West Sussex in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 2 February 2010
	 The available information is shown in the table.
	To provide information for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3)  percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence 1996/97 to 2007/08( 4) 
			   Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence( 5) 
			   Mid Sussex constituency  West Sussex 
			 1996/97 0.18 0.35 
			 1999/2000 0.30 0.44 
			 2003/04 0.33 0.44 
			
			 2007/08 0.50 0.64 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Figures prior to 2007/08 have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from the School Census. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Source: Absence in Schools Survey and School Census (see foot note 4)

West Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Mid Sussex constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Since 1997 the Government have transformed education and child care with improved outcomes for children and young people. Figures showing the performance at Key Stage 2 and at GCSE and equivalents in Mid Sussex are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Key Stage 2 results of 11 year old pupils attending schools in the Mid Sussex constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above( 1)  1997  2009( 2)  Perc entage point improvement 1997  to  2009 
			 Mid Sussex-English 72 85 13 
			 Mid Sussex-maths 73 85 12 
			 Mid Sussex-science 82 92 10 
			 England-English 63 80 17 
			 England-maths 62 79 17 
			 England-science 68 88 20 
			 (1) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges) (2) Revised data  Source:  School and College Achievement and Attainment tables. 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalents( 1)  results for pupils( 2)  attending schools( 3)  in the Mid Sussex constituency 
			  Percentage of pupils gaining  1997  2009( 4)  Perc entage point improvement 1997  to 2 009 
			 Mid Sussex-5+ A*-C 60.9 71.9 11 
			 Mid Sussex-5+ A*-G 93.6 95.8 2.2 
			 England-5+ A*-C(5) 45.1 70.0 24.9 
			 England-5+ A*-G(5) 86.4 92.3 5.9 
			 (1) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. (2) From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Prior to 2006 results are based on pupils aged 15. (3) Includes pupils attending all maintained schools (including Academies and City Technology Colleges), figures from 2000 do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (4) Revised data. (5) England figures also include independent schools as well as hospital schools and PRUs.  Source:  School and College Achievement and Attainment tables. 
		
	
	Further information by constituency is available on the Department's 'In Your Area' website:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea
	The information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational Academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil: teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four year olds, number of full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, average A level point score per candidate and per entry together with Percentage of People of Working Age Qualified to at least Level 2 and Percentage of People of Working Age Qualified to Level 4 and above.
	Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Young People: Refuges

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the future of the London Refuge; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 5 February 2010
	The Department received a copy of a letter from the chief executive of St. Christopher's Fellowship to directors of Children's Services in London, explaining the financial situation regarding the Refuge, on 19 June. Since then, no direct representations from St. Christopher's have been made. The future of the Refuge was also raised in business questions on 10 December.
	Officials are conducting a review of services for runaways in London and the Government have offered financial support if it is needed to help start the process of strengthening these services.